CHARLIE ST. CLOUD Writer- Craig Pearce & Lewis Colick
Director- Burr Steers
Starring- Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Augustus Prew, Ray Liotta.
The whole premise of the shameless Zac Efron vanity vehicle that is Charlie St. Cloud could be summed up in its terrible tagline- Life is For Living. It tells the story of a young sailor (Efron) whose life crumbles after the death of his younger brother (Tahan). Even still, he decides to keep a pact they made when they were both still living- they would meet everyday to practice their baseball skills.
There's not much that can save this shipwreck- not even Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger in severely underwritten roles can keep it from sinking. Everybody seems to be trying their very best, and all take it ever so seriously, but their efforts are in vain. Close-ups of Efron's face are abundant, as is an incredibly corny screenplay and heavy handed direction. This film is so cloying, so sickly sweet, that it's impossible to take seriously. Its plot twists are cliched, the end is ridiculous and its character development almost non-existent. The generic, intrusive score tries to sound inspirational, but falls dead flat. One of the very few redeeming features of the film is the cinematography, with an interesting shot here and there to liven things up a little. Abandon ship.
The bottom line- If all you want in a film are shots of an (occasionally) bare chested Zac Efron, then you're in for a real treat. Anyone else, stay well away.
1/10
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