"The Chumscrubber" DVD Review

There's something going on in suburbia and it's not pretty. Teenagers feel alienated, drugs are plentiful, and adults are oblivious. While "The Chumscrubber" doesn't break new ground revealing any of this, it does provide an interesting take on life inside the tidy, well-kept homes lining the streets of middle-class America.

Jamie Bell leads an eclectic mix of actors in the dark comedy, "The Chumscrubber," the rookie feature film directorial effort of writer/director Arie Posin. Bell and his "The Chumscrubber" co-stars - Camilla Belle, Lou Taylor Pucci, Thomas Curtis, Glenn Close, William Fichtner, Ralph Fiennes, Allison Janney, Lauren Holly, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Rita Wilson - almost succeed in making Posin and co-writer Zac Stanford's indie film stand out from the pack of teen angst, 'let's condemn life in suburbia' tales, most recently so well represented in Richard "Donnie Darko."

The story follows disillusioned youth, Dean Stiffle (Bell), after he discovers his friend/drug supplier Troy has hung himself. Dean's a solitary guy but after Troy's death, high school rebel without a cause Billy (Chatwin), pretty and conflicted Crystal (Belle), and hanger-on'er Lee (Pucci) make his life a living hell by demanding he recover Troy's stash. The threesome go as far as to kidnap a kid they believe is Dean's brother. He's not, and soon everything spirals completely out of control.

So why see "The Chumscrubber?" For Jamie Bell and Ralph Fiennes' performances. Watching these two - one relative newcomer, one seasoned veteran - take a been-there, done-that topic and twist it around with their performances is worth "The Chumscrubber" DVD rental price.