The Chumscrubber

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IMdB has the helpful plot summary of "The Chumscrubber is a darkly satiric story about life crumbling in the midst of a seemingly idyllic suburbia." I don't know that it really is all that accurate.

The viewer can see from the beginning that while it does take place in suburbia, it is anything but idyllic. Think Edward Sissorhands minus Tim Burton, and that's about what The Chumscrubber's feel is. Well, and add drugs, and even stupider teenagers.

The film has a mass of well-known actors in it: Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, Rita Wilson,Alison Janney (best known for her role on The West Wing), Carrie Ann Moss, and Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot fame). Oh yeah, and Jason Isaacs. Unfortunately he's not listed on the DVD packaging at all... surprisingly. However, his role is little more than a "spit and a cough"; he has only a few minutes of screentime, which was a shame. But given that this film was more about the kids than their parents, it isn't surprising.

Jason is Mr Parker, the father of one of the kids, and he purports to be a concerned father who is "always there for you Lee." But really, like most of the parents in this film, he's not really even listening to his son. He's pressuring his son to do well at school so he can go to a good college/university, and that is his main concern.

The most amusing bit with Jason is when he and his wife are attending the memorial for Glenn Close's son and have eaten some of the drug-spiked lasagna. The memorial has disintegrated from a solemn affair into a party because of the drugs, and most of the other parents are chatting loudly and laughing... Mr and Mrs Parker get a little randy and decide to make out on Mrs Johnson's (Glenn Close) sofa.

This was a good film; well worth seeing at least once. I especially liked Ralph Fiennes as the Mayor Michael Ebbs. He is reason enough to see this. And of course, see it for Jason. But don't blink, or you might miss him.