Charlie St. Cloud is a young romance movie wrapped in a story about losing someone, letting go, and moving on with your life. This is an above-average movie that offers quite a bit of heart and emotion, but it does have some things that are not needed or just too literal when it comes storytelling. But it is an uplifting movie with a good performance from Zac Efron.
Charlie St. Cloud (Efron) is a successful sailor and ends up getting a full college scholarship because of it. But after a car accident that leaves his little brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) dead, everything changes. Before his brother died, Charlie made a promise that he would practice baseball with him every day at sunset and even after his little brother has passed away, he keeps that promise. Let’s just say Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense is not the only person who can see dead people.
More than a few years pass and Charlie never went to college. He let his dreams disappear. His life revolves around working at a cemetary and playing catch with his dead brother. Then he meets Tess (who has had her eye on him for years) who has that same love for sailing as him. And through their relationship, he has to decide whether to let Tess go and stay with Sam, or to finally say goodbye to his little brother and be with the girl he loves. He has to choose one world over the other.
The relationship between Tess (Amanda Crew) and Charlie is not built up correctly. It happens and gets intense too quick. They really do not even know each other. On the other hand, the friendship between Charlie and Sam is set up pretty well. They are brothers and there is this bond that cannot be broken. You definitely believe more in the friendship and brotherhood between Sam and Charlie than the relationship between Charlie and Tess.
Charlie St. Cloud is directed by Burr Steers (who also directed Efron in 17 Again) and he knows who the star of the movie is and keeps the camera on him at all times. We all know Efron is a charming, good-looking guy with stunning hair. But his acting career has not blasted off. I liked him in 17 Again, but he gets more dramatic in this movie and pulls it off quite nicely. It is not the greatest performance of the year, but is it the best of his career? Yes.
Charlie St. Cloud is about a young man who had a bright future until tragedy struck and altered his perspective in a huge way. It is about those moments you spend with friends and family, and the promises you make. But how long do you make yourself suffer for something that is not your fault? When are you able to start living again? These questions are Charlie’s struggles. The movie has its problems but it is within the story, not the performance of Efron. If anything, he may be the reason most people see this movie in the first place.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
