thumbs up

I went to Thumbsucker instead of Everything is Illuminated. It's one of those groovy little character films that won't get much attention, yet just about anybody can relate to it because it deals with addiction, those little habits or fantasies that help us cope. 17-year-old Justin wants to quit sucking his thumb, but he finds it hard not to be flawed in his family: His mom is in love with a TV actor, his dad is one of those hyper-competitive failed athletes that you just wanna throttle, and he has an evil foul-mouthed little brother. To make matters worse, his creepy shamanic dentist/mentor is played by Keanu Reeves. Holy sh**, that's freakier than Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man!!
Dependency isn't always about weakness; relying on something to help us get through life makes us fully human. It's easy to look down on people who have negative addictions (street drugs, alcohol, thumbsucking), but the "positive" addictions we're encouraged to develop can be every bit as crippling. Justin manages to give up the thumb with the aid of Ritalin, but Ritalin turns him into an aggressive, manipulative, viciously competitive little jackass. (Debate coach: "In my professional opinion, you've become a monster.")