The Chumscrubber (DVD)

The Chumscrubber is a film destined for cult status, and I don't say this in a loving way. One of the films I have failed to see the interest people have in it is Donnie Darko and The Chumscrubber has Darko written all over it. Only difference is that this one is set in the world of "Desperate Housewives", and even though it describes itself as a dark comedy it is more of a failed sense of reality.

The Chumscrubber takes the disconnected relationship of parents and their children to an insane level and still believes it is set in a world of elevated reality. I say "elevated" because it would be impossible for any sane person to think that all of these coincidentally dysfunctional people could all exist in one place, at one time and ultimately end up a part of one insane situation.

The situation I refer to begins as teenager Dean (Jamie Bell) finds his one and only friend, Troy, dead in his room where he has hung himself. Troy is known around school for his supply of drugs, which leads to neighborhood bad boy Billy (Justin Chatwin) pressuring Dean into breaking into Troy's room and getting his stash. When Dean denies him Billy decides to kidnap his brother, only it isn't Dean's brother, it is the son of Lou Bratley (John Heard) and his interior decorator ex-wife, who is currently engaged to be married to the town mayor (Ralph Fiennes). Do you see where all this is going? Yeah, me neither.

I could go on and on and you would think I was ruining the movie for you, but, in all honesty, the movie ruins itself as it goes from one mindless situation to the next including a reincarnated version of Dean's buddy Troy in a similar fashion to the menacing metal bunny in Donnie Darko.

The Chumscrubber may seem like an imagination on the loose, but when you look at it you realize there isn't anything all too original to be found in this piece.

What the movie does have going for it, just so I don't completely toss it on the trash heap, is a phenomenal performance from Alison Janney as Dean's "better life" pill-pushing mother and a turn from Carrie-Anne Moss that would probably help her get away from her Trinity role if only this movie was better.

As for the DVD features there is so little to talk about they don't even include the details on the back of the box. All you are getting are a few deleted scenes, a self-indulging commentary with the writer (Zac Stanford) and director (Arie Posin) and a making-of featurette. Nothing important.

It goes without saying, if you have made it this far, this is not a DVD you will want to pick up unless you are a lost soul looking for someone to blame or perhaps one of those Darko fanatics - who knows maybe you will own two DVDs now.