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Charlie St. Cloud Starring Zac Efron

Written by Jonathan Jacobs

Charlie St. Cloud, a film based on the novel by Ben Sherwood, is spellbinding. It is more than a movie; it transcends any one genre or characterization. I found myself moved to tears a dozen times and jubilant equally as often. Charlie (Zac Efron) and Sam (Charlie Tahan) St. Cloud are more than brothers, they are best friends. Living with their mother Claire (Kim Basinger) they do nearly everything together. Charlie is the perfect brother, role model and friend to Sam. Regretfully, one fateful decision changes the fabric of their lives forever and leads to a story that will break your heart and mend it all over again.

After watching the joy Charlie takes in bringing Sam along for sailing adventures, special occasions with friends, and from practicing baseball with him, we find out he is about to leave for college on a sailing scholarship. Naturally Sam is crestfallen but Charlie promises to play catch with him every day after work until he leaves for school. His future is bright and his sailing talent is unrivaled. Faced with having to babysit Sam or go to his graduation party Charlie chooses the party. On the way to drop off his brother at a friend’s house they are involved in a horrific car accident. In the back of an ambulance with an EMT (Ray Liotta) both brothers flatline. Their hearts stop beating until a miracle or twist of fate occurs and only Charlie survives.

Fast forward five years and we discover Charlie has dedicated his entire life to being with his brother. He has taken a job as a caretaker at the cemetery where his brother’s gravesite is. Every night near sunset for one hour he plays catch with and talks with Sam’s spirit. His life is uneventful and people in town talk about his mental state with acute cruelty. For Charlie it is easier to leave things as they have always been at great personal sacrifice because he promised his brother he would never leave his side. Sam survives because of his brother’s kindness and dedication to keeping his memory alive. This changes when one evening at the behest of his best friend Alistair (Augustus Prew) he ventures to a local tavern for a set-up date.

While the date is floundering Charlie notices the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on, Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew). They lock eyes and do some soul-searching despite the raucous scene around them. They spend the next three days falling madly in love and doing everything Charlie should have always done were it not for his stubborn conscience and ironclad loyalty. Tess and Charlie feel like soulmates from the start. They sail together, make passionate love together and act out a storybook romance that both desperately seem to need. Both are hurt by the death of loved ones and neither wants to ever let go. She understands him and this is where I absolutely have to stop this recap. If I go any further I will indubitably ruin the movie for you and the very thought is dreary to me.

Charlie St. Cloud moved me. Tess Carroll and Zac Efron have more chemistry than even Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling did in The Notebook. This is a drama, a love story and a tragedy all rolled into one. Efron recently commented on how poor of an actor Robert Pattinson is. This got me thinking that he has a point. Efron plays each role with dedication and he is constantly in the moment. We never suspect he is faking it or that he is simply going through the motions. He seems to appreciate his craft and wants to use his talent to the maximum of its limits each and every time. If Charlie St. Cloud is the beginning of his illustrious career than he is off to a terrific start. He has the look of a star and every attribute necessary to make us immerse ourselves in a movie. That is really the point isn’t it? To go to the movies to escape? Maybe to think about life, friends and family? Or maybe we go to laugh or to be frightened. Whatever our reasons may be wouldn’t it be a perfect world if every actor took their movies as seriously as Efron does his? Although I would prefer to wait a great long time before giving this picture a second viewing it is only because I am emotionally attached to it. Brilliant.