Charlie St. Cloud
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 30, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
37
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
15
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A delicate film - not flimsy, but fragile - that holds together on the strength of Efron's physical presence and performance. Read full review
70
MovielineMichelle Orange
The vehicle may get a little jacked up along the way, but its passenger arrives in style: The kid's a star. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The byplay between Efron and newcomer Tahan as his brother has a warmth and intimacy that establish the film's tone. The performances carry the film. Read full review
60
VarietyDennis Harvey
Religious overtones, however, could make this the rare mainstream feature that connects with the faith-based entertainment market. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAaron Hillis
This handsomely shot melodrama has a twist too peculiar to dismiss as some two-bit Nicholas Sparks weepie. Read full review
50
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
The movie's central gimmick isn't enough, and when more supernatural twists that don't play by the movie's own fantasy rules kick in, it lost me. Read full review
50
ObserverRex Reed
One thing that defies debate: Zac Efron is going places as an actor of value. But he deserves better movies than Charlie St. Cloud. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
The film is memorable mainly for attractive people sailing and smooching against an attractive backdrop. There's no urgency behind all the preening. Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicKerry Lengel
Guilt, grief and the struggle to move on are big themes, but unfortunately, director Burr Steers and his script writers aren't interested in exploring them. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Charlie St. Cloud is primarily a vehicle to prove the actor can do more than dance and sing. It's more of a demo reel for Efron than a movie. His predominant fan base, though, won't mind a bit. Read full review
50
Boxoffice MagazineVadim Rizov
The surprises really do surprise but often because they're remarkably stupid and poorly explained. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The movie tries to capture the crushing weight of loss, but between the insipid pop tunes and the repetitive shots cutting away to a lighthouse on a scenic outcropping, it feels more like a film version of a condolence card. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The surreal thing is, Zac Efron can't do despair. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Though the soundtrack comes on kind of heavy, the cinematography (by Enrique Chediak) has a beautiful clarity. Yorick's skull or not, Charlie St. Cloud is no Shakespearean drama, but the film should prove to be another solid stepping stone for Efron on his way to a long adult career. Read full review
40
NPRMark Jenkins
This ode to "moving on" from grief packs so little genuine emotion that it will touch only the most susceptible of viewers. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Though it was directed by Burr Steers, Charlie St. Cloud feels more like a misguided collaboration among Nicholas Sparks, M. Night Shyamalan and Billy Graham. Read full review
40
Time OutKeith Uhlich
Cue those weepy violins. Indeed, you get everything you'd expect from this mostly saccharine melodrama. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey
For now, Efron remains an unrealized dream and Charlie St. Cloud an unrealized movie, though judging from the "ooohhs" and "awwwws" from the audience, for his core tween-girl fans, that's more than enough. Read full review
38
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
It's more like a shelved episode of "Touched by An Angel." The sappy script is a disservice to the naturally effervescent Efron, whose character is so mopey he makes Robert Pattinson seem like a song-and-dance man. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Director Burr Steers milks them dry, like an overeager farmer at milking time, which is a paradox since this is the wettest picture of 2010, what with the sea spray and Efron's tear ducts and the general metaphysical mist. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It has no pulse, no apparent breath. Read full review
38
PremiereJohn DeVore
Ultimately, the reason Charlie St. Cloud loses its momentum is because a love triangle between a grieving man, a beautiful woman from his past, and a spectral shade is just too strange. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Clumsily incorporates elements of "Ghost," "The Sixth Sense," and "Field of Dreams." Read full review
38
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Charlie St. Cloud, like its star Zac Efron, is a gorgeous, unblemished thing. Both would be much improved with a tiny flaw or two. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The scenes in which Charlie plays catch with the ghost of his Red Sox-happy brother are only the most mawkish in a movie whose every element is calculated to set a 12-year-old girl's heart thumping. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The film doesn't just fail, it actually gets sillier by the minute. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Some bad movies should carry a leper's bell to warn off ticket buyers. Such a contagion is Charlie St. Cloud, a load of mawkish swill starring Zac Efron (bereft of the talent he showed in "Me and Orson Welles"). Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
What "serious" means for young actors, as we know from Miley Cyrus's "The Last Song," is maudlin, and Charlie St. Cloud is no exception. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
A maudlin and unintentionally hilarious romantic weepie.
20
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
You are not, in a movie like this, supposed to think too much; you are supposed to be transported beyond skepticism on a wave of pure, tacky feeling. Instead, in this case, you drown in sentimental, ghoulish nonsense. Read full review
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