Review: Charlie St. Cloud

I'll confess that I'm a sucker for sentimental supernatural film and television. Despite its cheesiness, I'll watch Ghost and Ghost Whisperer anytime I come across them while surfing the television channels. I loved the plot twists of What Dreams May Come, The Others and The Sixth Sense, but give me a hanky for the tearful moments. It's the more profound question of the afterlife and redemption that I find mystifying and often comforting in my morose moments of recognition of mortality. Charlie St. Cloud attempts to extract similar sentimentality from its viewers. Based on Ben Sherwood's 2004 novel The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, this film directed by Burr Steers (17 Again) paints an ethereal portrait of loved ones amongst golden sunsets and raging storms.

Charlie (Zac Efron), is clearly a young man from the wrong side of the tracks. His mother (Kim Basinger) works double shifts to support him and his annoying and devoted brother Sam. Fortunately for Charlie, his good grades and sailing prowess have secured him a sailing scholarship at Stanford. On graduation day, the future couldn't be brighter for Charlie. He promises Sam that he'll play catch with him every day at sunset until Charlie leaves for school in the fall. However, a bad decision leaves both brothers dead in a car accident -- until Charlie is brought back to life by a dedicated paramedic (Ray Liotta).

Several years pass, but Charlie hasn't moved on. His maudlin mood is fueled by guilt over the death of Sam and commitment to meeting him. Turns out that Charlie has kept his promise, because Sam hasn't moved on either to the afterlife. This arrangement becomes complicated as Charlie becomes involved romantically with Tess (Amanda Crew), a former classmate who's preparing to sail solo around the world. Charlies finds his devotion to Sam is put to the test, as he must choose between meeting his brother or spending time with Tess.

The director and screenwriters of Charlie St. Cloud expect a lot from the audience. A suspension of disbelief is needed to enjoy the supernatural nature of this film. The fact that Charlie can physically touch his dead brother, and Sam can wrestle with him and manipulate objects is made with no explanation. I wouldn't have such a problem accepting those aspects if the story adhered to its own tenets. To explain would reveal a massive spoiler, but I can liken it to the physics of Star Trek -- we'll accept an alternate reality, but stay within the confines of the reality that's been created. Despite the clearly stated involvement of a higher being in the resurrection of Charlie, there's not any of the depth or exploration as is seen in What Dreams May Come.

Charlie St. Cloud is represented by the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest, where the film was shot. The movie is lovely to look at, but just doesn't have a lot of substance. The romance between Charlie and Tess takes effect without any buildup, making it difficult to connect to the characters. I felt more chemistry and character development between Charlie and his best mate Alistair (Augustus Prew) than with Tess. Efron is moving out of his teen-idol status and into more adult roles, but sadly this movie has done nothing to further his efforts. Most of his acting in this film is to gaze off into the distance sadly. I did enjoy his performance in the few humorous moments in this film. Efron's performance in Linklater's film Me and Orson Welles is more of a testimony to his range and potential. Veteran actors Liotta and Basinger were underutilized, and child actor Charlie Tahan did a decent job as Sam -- although I'm convinced he's related to Steve Zahn, which I found distracting.

Fans of Efron and folks wanting sentimental pablum may enjoy Charlie St. Cloud. but otherwise I would expect most viewers to find this film disappointing and poorly structured. I was left wondering what the message is -- "Life is for the living?" "God has a plan?" "Take a chance?" Yes, all of these mantras and more are included in Charlie St. Cloud. If you are looking for a better developed and delivered sentimental romance, I'd recommend instead renting any film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. I'll break out the tissues and just watch The Sixth Sense once again.