Sick Product of a Sick System

One of my all time favorites.

Memorable, crazy movie

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

I really liked this film; the story is about loss, Love, understanding and finally redemption through that love. I think as a slightly older person, having been through bereavement, I can identify with the themes in this film. Obviously not to the supernatural aspects as such, but when you have lost a parent a sibling or a friend, you do find yourself at times thinking what would they say or do and more then once I have spoken out loud to a loved one who has died without even realising sometimes. No I'm not crazy it's just normal sometimes after a loss and I'm sure many do it either as I do sometimes out loud or internally. So taken in those terms I find the story not too far out as some comment. The film has just externalised this discourse as such between Charlie and Sam to make it more compelling to the audience. I suppose the film could be considered under the heading of Magical Realism in film terms. A genre that I tend to find a bit hit and miss. Overall the film is more hit then misses. I didn't like the character of Charlie's gravedigger/Gardner mate his accent was annoying for one and his character very superficial and under developed, but Zac Efron was very compelling in the movie and handled the emotional aspects very well for such a young actor. I think you would have a hard heart not to find something special and uplifting in this story. It has problems but overall a good movie so give it 8/10. If you are young and not effected by some of the themes in this film and don't like it now revisit it in many years time you may just change your views.

This film had scope to be well put together and enjoyable. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Having thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful book this film was adapted from, this was an extreme disappointment. I am used to films changing the plot of an original story slightly, adding the odd dramatic scene, but this really ventured off the mark and felt rushed, badly acted and fundamentally boring. Such a shame, if this had a better selection of actors and actresses, followed the story more closely and was longer...it could have been memorable.Essentially this is eye-candy for the fans of film romance, and may tick the boxes for those who have not read the book. If you have, then you are mad if you feel anything but disappointment towards this film.3/10 for holding my attention all the way through.

There was no happy moment or good moment in the movie, just depressing. Okay not all story lines should always be happy, but the whole thing was sad. Charlie was looking after his brother when his mother I think was working late. Charlie gave his brother a ride somewhere or something which the movie was kind of unclear on. The brother both get into a car accident and I think both die, but I think they were able to bring Charlie back and not his brother. So he is able to see his brother and visit him every night at the grave, the whole scenes are just dark and depressing. He finally gets a girlfriend, hard to believe, a grown man who is intelligent and has a reasonable job in his 20s never had a girlfriend. He gave up his whole life just to visit his brother every night, he worked at the cemetery instead of going to college, I guess because that is the only way he could visit at night. Then he has to choose between his girlfriend or his brother, and can never see him anymore, sad, depressing. There is no point to the storyline, it doesn't teach anything or put a happy ending to anything.

I've read Ben Sherwood's book The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud a few year ago. I can honestly say that it was pretty enjoyable, due to its ability to get straight to the point in order to grasp the reader's attention and its easy-to-understand language. It's an emotionally–packed story of a great tragedy, where the main character tries to 'stay in touch' with his dead brother, and, at the same time, move on in order to develop a relationship with a newly met girl. After I have heard the news that the movie is about to come out I thought that t will be a great opportunity to test my imagination and reassure myself that the book possesses a special attitude that makes the plot very entertaining.I really thought that the choice of Zac Efron for the role of Charlie was a good one. His age, posture and physical abilities – all that seemed to be right on the spot. However, his inability to connect with the character that he was playing made his appearance particularly dull. One thing I must say for certain – this man can cry, and I mean cry like a newborn baby. Yet, his deeply unemotional and expressionless face in addition to the ever-occurring sobbing doesn't really capture the true grief behind the nature of Mr. St. Cloud. In the book he was a strong and independent man, regaining control of his own life. His depiction as a big crybaby didn't convince me. However, the picture shown on the screen can vary from the one originally written, right? This could have been the director's intention. Unfortunately, it came out all wrong. Of course, all the girls that are in love with Efron will be amazed, that is for sure. And I don't want to say that he is a bad actor, because he isn't. I just want to say that his performance here is bad. But let's just leave Zac alone and move forward. The role of Sam, the brother, is played rather well by Charlie Tahan, because he captured this character's presence correctly and honestly you can't expect more enthusiasm from a young boy, who is now a ghost still present among the living (it sounds depressing, but it was his choice to stay on Earth and always be near his big brother). Amanda Crew, playing the beautiful lady, who tries to convince Charlie that there is still more to life than mourning and that, especially right now, he should live to the fullest, is a bright star in this production. I loved her heartfelt attitude and the amount of positive balance that she brings onto the screen.However, the stagnant mood and melancholic atmosphere of the film make it a far from entertaining. On the plus side, it is supposed to be a tale about growing up and letting go, so let's just say that is a good thing in some strange sort of way.Indeed it can be said that this is a strong position in the teenage drama category. Looking from this perspective one can always find some inspiration and try to put himself in Charlie's traumatic position. Only then it carries a certain message and is slightly more appealing. That is why I wouldn't consider this movie to be a total flop, but developing my opinion from the point of reading the breathtaking book I'm not able to state that I'm satisfied with this adaptation.