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Movie Profile
Charlie St. Cloud
2010 · United States - Burr Steers
Charlie St. Cloud (Zac Efron) is a sailor who wins a professional boating race on his sailboat, the Splendid Splinter, along with his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan). He subsequently receives a sailing scholarship to Stanford University. Charlie graduates from Winslow High School and after getting home from his graduation ceremony, Charlie promises Sam that they will practice baseball together every day until he leaves for Stanford; at sunset when the “Bailey’s Yacht Club” ceremonial cannons sound. Later that night, Charlie was supposed to go to a graduation party with his friends, but his mother Claire (Kim Basinger) makes him babysit Sam while she picks up another shift at her job as a nurse. When Sam is watching television, Charlie tries to sneak out and go to the party. But he is caught by Sam when he turns his headlights on, and Sam asks Charlie to drive him to his friend Tommy's house to watch the Red Sox game. At first Charlie refuses, but gives in when Sam makes compliments about his car. While driving, Charlie and Sam talk about Charlie's departure and horseplay until they get into a bad car accident at an intersection. Their car is rear ended by a SUV, forcing them into the path of a Mack truck in a T-bone collision. In the dark, Charlie hugs a badly wounded Sam and tries to reassure him that everything will be fine once he takes the blame for his actions. Knowing that his injuries are fatal, Sam asks Charlie to never leave him alone again, saying that if he does, they will always be together as brothers. Charlie promises they will always be together. Then a paramedic named Florio Ferrente (Ray Liotta) revives Charlie, who sobs in horror when he realizes that Sam has succumbed to his wounds and died in his arms. At Sam's funeral, a broken-hearted Charlie runs off after refusing to put Sam's baseball glove in the grave. After a heartbroken run through the neighboring woods, Charlie finds Sam's spirit and discovers that Sam can interact with him on the physical plane. After their reunion, Charlie fulfills Sam's dying wish by practicing baseball with him every day at sunset, in the canyon, after the sounding of the cannons.
Genres:
Drama, Romance, Fantasy, History
Release date:
2010-07-30
External links:
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Rotten Tomatoes
20 Critic reviews
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Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
All this sets us up for a "twist" ending, but if you don't predict it a half-hour before its revelation, you surely must have nodded off during baseball practice.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Tom Long
Detroit News
Where's a vampire when you need one?
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
The movie has a machine-extruded gloss that makes it harder, not easier, to swallow its difficult emotions.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Maudlin and unintentionally hilarious.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Bruce Demara
Toronto Star
While Efron does his best to carry the film, the rest of Charlie St. Cloud feels a bit too formulaic, pretentious and cloying...
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
If Zac Efron hadn't signed on, this sappy spiritual fantasy would certainly have skipped the cineplex altogether -- in favor of eternal rotation on cable.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Claudia Puig
USA Today
The movie tries to capture the crushing weight of loss, but between the insipid pop tunes and the repetitive shots cutting away to a lighthouse on a scenic outcropping, it feels more like a film version of a condolence card.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Kathleen Murphy
MSN Movies
Despite all the effort, Efron and the mugging Tahan don't strike fire, and their affectionate banter gets old.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Charlie St. Cloud -- from its awful title to its annoyingly perfect photography -- is a schmaltzy sniffle at best.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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A.O. Scott
New York Times
You are not, in a movie like this, supposed to think too much; you are supposed to be transported beyond skepticism on a wave of pure, tacky feeling. Instead, in this case, you drown in sentimental, ghoulish nonsense.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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S. James Snyder
Chicago Tribune
With its assurances that everything happens for a reason and everything will be alright, a potentially haunting story becomes a philosophical one-way street.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Steers and his screenwriters aren't aiming for logic; they're leading up to the next opportunity for Efron to remove his shirt.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steers takes his time and it pays off in Efron's subdued performance, earnest and yearning.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Charlie St. Cloud is a delicate film - not flimsy, but fragile - that holds together on the strength of Efron's physical presence and performance.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Eric D. Snider
Film.com
This could have been a sappy Hallmark story; instead it's uplifting and thoughtful.
July 30, 2010 read full article
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Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
The good news is that Efron continues to get better with each film; he just hasn't gotten a role yet that will finally put his acting potential to the test.
July 29, 2010 read full article
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Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
An over-sentimental effort that incorporates love, drama, bereavement, comedy, seagoing adventure and mystical uplift...
July 29, 2010 read full article
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Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
He is noble. He is virtuous. He is often wet.
July 29, 2010 read full article
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MaryAnn Johanson
Film.com
I found it impossible not to fall in love with Charlie St. Cloud. Because he is genuinely compassionate, genuinely hurting, and genuinely endearing. And that's all because Efron has real soul onscreen.
July 29, 2010 read full article
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Dennis Harvey
Variety
Those easily moved will sniffle as cued; anyone else is likely to remain dry-eyed.
July 29, 2010 read full article
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