69
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatBenefits from a goofy yet incisive sense of humor and some extremely strong performances.
- 80New York Magazine (Vulture)Ken TuckerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Ken TuckerOne of the wonderful things about Thumbsucker is that, unlike so many movies in which a character changes in order to propel the plot forward, this one stops to follow up on the consequences of those changes.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversPucci is an actor to watch: He rides this spellbinder without softening the truths that plague the thumbsucker in all of us.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThumbsucker is true to its nature, and that makes Justin's eventual transformation all the more rewarding.
- 75PremiereGlenn KennyPremiereGlenn KennyThe movie has a lot of good bits and terrific performances, including a too-perfect Keanu Reeves as a mystic orthodontist.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThumbsucker is a head-scratcher. It's well directed and acted. Yet the story has little emotional pull.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThumbsucker (like "Donnie Darko") is more likely to prosper in the long haul as a home-format cult fave than in its initial arthouse tour. Both offer eccentric humor within a fairly somber overall tone, support-cast surprises, and (to a lesser degree in Thumbsucker) fable-like, hyperreal elements.
- 70Village VoiceJessica WinterVillage VoiceJessica WinterEndearing and well-acted.
- 70The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsIt's a familiar story, but Mills and Pucci treat it as if it were the first time anyone had thought to tell it.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanPucci proves to be one of the most charismatic male ingenues since Johnny Depp.