The Chumscrubber (2005)

A darkly satiric story about life crumbling in the midst of a seemingly idyllic suburbia.

Director:

Arie Posin

Writers:

Arie Posin (story), Zac Stanford (screenplay)

Stars:

Jamie Bell, Glenn Close, Rory Culkin

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Bell	...	Dean
Camilla Belle	...	Crystal
Justin Chatwin	...	Billy
Glenn Close	...	Carrie Johnson
Thomas Curtis	...	Charlie Bratley
Rory Culkin	...	Charlie Stiffle
Kathi Copeland	...	Parent #1 (as Kathy Copeland)
Tim DeKay	...	Mr. Peck
David Ellison	...	Student #1 (as David Ellsion)
William Fichtner	...	Mr. Bill Stiffle
Ralph Fiennes	...	Mayor Michael Ebbs
Richard Gleason	...	Parent #2
Caroline Goodall	...	Mrs. Parker
John Heard	...	Officer Lou Bratley
Susan Hegarty	...	Aide to Mayor Ebbs

Storyline

The Chumscrubber starts out with Troy, a normal teenager who supplies "feel good" pills to everyone in his high school (this way he spreads happiness all around). But when his friend Dean pays him a visit, Dean discovers Troy has hanged himself in his bedroom during one of his mother's pool parties. After the death, three local teens: Billy, Lee, and Crystal, want what's left of Troy's stash of pills and they know that Dean is the only one who knows where they are. But when Dean refuses to get the pills, the three teens kidnap Dean's little brother, until they realize they've kidnapped the wrong kid.

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Plot Keywords:

pills | friend | suburbia | chumscrubber | teen | 

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Taglines:

Fear. Trust. Love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violent content, drug material and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Newmarket Films

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2006 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Untitled Arie Posin Project

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$28,548 (USA) (5 August 2005)

Gross:

$49,526 (USA) (12 August 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Camino Pictures, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG II, Go Fish Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the two movies released in 2005 that starred Glenn Close, Jason Isaacs, and William Fichtner as part of the ensemble casting. The other film was Nine Lives.

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Goofs

When Dean and Crystal are talking in the lunch line, the same female extra walks by twice in only a few seconds.

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Quotes

Dean Stiffle: Hello?
Crystal Falls: Dean?
Dean Stiffle: ...Jesus, can't you guys just leave me alone?
Crystal Falls: I'd love to Dean, but I can't.
Dean Stiffle: Yeah, why not?
Crystal Falls: I need your help.
Dean Stiffle: Yeah, I doubt that.
Crystal Falls: You know it all, huh?
Dean Stiffle: What do you want, Crystal?
Crystal Falls: Well, you know when Billy said he kidnapped your brother?
[...]

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Soundtracks

"Our House"
Performed by Phantom Planet
Written by Graham Nash
Courtesy of Epic Records by arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Wow, a movie that gives teens their due!

This movie really impressed me by how realistically it treated teenagers and their capabilities. A lot of movies regard teens as immature or ignorant of "grown up" problems, but we aren't. Age doesn't dictate maturity or knowledge, it's just the amount of time you've lived on earth. Another thing that I really enjoyed was seeing parents' mistakes blown up instead. It's crazy to think about, but a lot of homes really are like that and I think it's horrible. The Chumscrubber was amazing in that it accented real problems with today's society openly, without buffers to appease the audience. The director had a message, and he said it, without reference to anyone else, or to how well the movie would do. I find that kind of honesty in a movie refreshing. Plus, the movie was brilliant anyways.