We’re all in this together… Wait, wrong movie. Sorry. You know how I can tell? No singing and better abs. Actually, Efron’s acting chops are pretty darn impressive, minus a few cringe-worthy moments. The plot’s not that terrible either. I even kind of like it, kind of.
Efron plays Charlie St. Cloud, who takes the entire two hours to get over his little brother Sam’s (Charlie Tahan) death, for which he felt was his fault, since Sam dies because Charlie had to go to this senior graduation party. The first 10 minutes is this setup. The rest of the movie takes place five years in the future, where Charlie is still trying to get over Sam’s death. Oh, and he works in the grave yard where his little brother is buried. He reconnects with Tess (Amanda Crew), a girl with whom he went to high school. The twist at the end actually surprised me, which I wasn’t expecting at all.
Zac Efron. Personally, I think he broke out of the HSM mold with Me and Orson Wells, and Charlie St. Cloud was just an extension, but no one saw that movie, so I suppose St. Cloud will just have to be his break-out role. Unfortunately, it isn’t a great one. He acts well, but the movie needs to be better for him to make the transition from teen hearthrob to critically-acclaimed adult actor.
Charlie Tahan actually stole the show a bit from Efron (‘s abs). He acts as a dead boy quite convincingly. He also looks a bit like Efron could have looked at that age, which helps his performance.
I didn’t really like Amanda Crew in her role as Tess Carroll, St. Cloud’s love interest (and it has nothing to do with Efron, seriously). I don’t know quite what it is about her, but throughout the entire film, I just kept thinking, “I wish someone else had been cast in this role.” Her acting is fine, her chemistry with Efron is fine, but that’s all. I wasn’t wishing they would end up together in the end, like (if a rom-dram is good) I should be thinking.
If you really love Zac Efron, go see this movie. If you don’t, then it’ll probably be a waste of your time.
