Rating: 3/5
Verdict: Efron's looks hold this sob-inducing melodrama together
What starts out as an interesting idea for a romantic drama from Igby Goes Down director Burr Steers fast turns into a schmaltzy Nicholas Sparks-like rip-off in this adaptation of Ben Sherwood's novel The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud.
Zac Efron is Charlie and it his character that holds together this melodrama, set in a small coastal town in New England. About to head to Stanford on a yachting scholarship, life is full of promise for Charlie until his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) is killed in a car accident while Charlie is driving.
Charlie dies as well, but is miraculously brought back to life by a medic (Ray Liotta) and then discovers he can see dead people. He makes a deal with his brother to meet him every afternoon at sunset to play baseball, a way to comfort Sam and keep his memory alive. Fast-forward five years and Charlie has retreated from the world, finding the perfect job to take advantage of his unique skill by working as the local cemetery caretaker. It's also here that he meets Tess (Amanda Crew), a young woman who might just be able to convince Charlie it's time to move on with his life.
This film throws around ideas about the supernatural, God's purpose for us, and the "in between" world, but none of these ideas of spirituality are fully realised. They do allow for some twists which help keep you interested in Charlie's efforts to deal with his brother's death, even if they don't always make a lot of sense.
Efron's anguish over Sam's death is genuine and overwhelming, but if this was the opportunity for him to prove how far he's come since High School Musical he's missed the boat.
It's not entirely his fault. The recent Orson Welles and Me was a film that allowed him to showcase his acting ability, but Steers turns Charlie St Cloud into a film showcasing Efron's beauty. There are plenty of perfectly lit close up shots of Efron gazing into the distance and when the moment calls for tears to gently roll down those perfectly sculptured cheeks, Efron nails it. Otherwise though, he mostly just gazes longingly at the sunset as if he's waiting for someone to call "lunch".
That won't stop mothers and daughters shedding tears over this film, although they won't be crying over the same thing. Mothers will be reduced to tears over the tragic consequences of the car accident, the younger ladies reduced to tears by Efron's physical perfection. But if mother/daughter bonding is what you're after these holidays, then it's worth a shot.
Cast: Zac Efron, Kim Basinger
Director: Burr Steers
Running time: 100 mins
Rating: M
-TimeOut
