For some reason I went into viewing this movie thinking it was a silly comedy, but it isn't. Yes, there are genuinely funny parts, as there always are in real life, but this is mostly a drama about a high school boy Justin (Lou Pucci) who never tossed off the habit of sucking his thumb like some small children do. And it wasn't just an unconscious reflex while sleeping, he often sucked his thumb as a reassurance.
So the story is about his dad (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his Orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) trying to help this boy break the habit. Reeves goes so far as to hypnotize him, so that his thumb now had a bad taste. But the story turns when a professional at school meets with Justin and his parents and convinces the mother (Tilda Swinton) that Justin should be given medication to combat what they thought was a hyper activity disorder which made him under perform. Vince Vaughn plays a teacher and debate coach.
With the medication, Justin became a different person. No longer passive, he latched onto an opportunity to become a debate team member, he always prepared meticulously, was like a little bulldog, became a debate star. This also carried over to his home life, and he often used his skills to try to manipulate things at home.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. Justin so enjoyed how he felt with the medication, he began to rely on it. Although his grades were ordinary, he was accepted at NYU partly because he falsely claimed that he came from a disadvantaged home. But he finally realized that the meds were turning him into something he hated, so he threw them away. The movie ends with his flight to NY, he is dreaming of his career in broadcasting, when his words become garbled. He awakes to find he is sucking his thumb again, and a cute girl next to him seems to think it is charming. No longer feeling a stigma attached to his habit, he arrives in NYC and is running through the street, accepting himself without drugs.
So the story is about his dad (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his Orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) trying to help this boy break the habit. Reeves goes so far as to hypnotize him, so that his thumb now had a bad taste. But the story turns when a professional at school meets with Justin and his parents and convinces the mother (Tilda Swinton) that Justin should be given medication to combat what they thought was a hyper activity disorder which made him under perform. Vince Vaughn plays a teacher and debate coach.
With the medication, Justin became a different person. No longer passive, he latched onto an opportunity to become a debate team member, he always prepared meticulously, was like a little bulldog, became a debate star. This also carried over to his home life, and he often used his skills to try to manipulate things at home.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. Justin so enjoyed how he felt with the medication, he began to rely on it. Although his grades were ordinary, he was accepted at NYU partly because he falsely claimed that he came from a disadvantaged home. But he finally realized that the meds were turning him into something he hated, so he threw them away. The movie ends with his flight to NY, he is dreaming of his career in broadcasting, when his words become garbled. He awakes to find he is sucking his thumb again, and a cute girl next to him seems to think it is charming. No longer feeling a stigma attached to his habit, he arrives in NYC and is running through the street, accepting himself without drugs.