Charlie St. Cloud 2010

S. James Snyder, Chicago Tribune: With its assurances that everything happens for a reason and everything will be alright, a potentially haunting story becomes a philosophical one-way street. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: 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 more

Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies: Despite all the effort, Efron and the mugging Tahan don't strike fire, and their affectionate banter gets old. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: 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 more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Te film is memorable mainly for attractive people sailing and smooching against an attractive backdrop. There's no urgency behind all the preening. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: The characters and their supernatural love triangle are developed with a businesslike efficiency that makes it almost impossible to invest in them emotionally. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: He is noble. He is virtuous. He is often wet. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The story's icky, frankly. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Where's a vampire when you need one? Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The surreal thing is, Zac Efron can't do despair. He plays it by staring. Blankly. And by not smiling. Blankly. Read more

Eric D. Snider, Film.com: This could have been a sappy Hallmark story; instead it's uplifting and thoughtful. Read more

MaryAnn Johanson, Film.com: I found it impossible not to fall in love with Charlie St. Cloud. Because he is genuinely compassionate, genuinely hurting, and genuinely endearing. And that's all because Efron has real soul onscreen. Read more

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: An unstable mix of youth romance, metaphysical idealism and tropes that seemingly belong in a horror film. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: The good news is that Efron continues to get better with each film; he just hasn't gotten a role yet that will finally put his acting potential to the test. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: It's more of a demo reel for Efron than a movie. His predominant fan base, though, won't mind a bit. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Charlie St. Cloud -- from its awful title to its annoyingly perfect photography -- is a schmaltzy sniffle at best. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: If Zac Efron hadn't signed on, this sappy spiritual fantasy would certainly have skipped the cineplex altogether -- in favor of eternal rotation on cable. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Maudlin and unintentionally hilarious. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: Zac Efron is going places as an actor of value. But he deserves better movies than Charlie St. Cloud. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Steers takes his time and it pays off in Efron's subdued performance, earnest and yearning. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Steers and his screenwriters aren't aiming for logic; they're leading up to the next opportunity for Efron to remove his shirt. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: 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. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Charlie St. Cloud is a delicate film - not flimsy, but fragile - that holds together on the strength of Efron's physical presence and performance. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: An over-sentimental effort that incorporates love, drama, bereavement, comedy, seagoing adventure and mystical uplift... Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 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 more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: All this sets us up for a "twist" ending, but if you don't predict it a half-hour before its revelation, you surely must have nodded off during baseball practice. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: While Efron does his best to carry the film, the rest of Charlie St. Cloud feels a bit too formulaic, pretentious and cloying... Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: As the drama increases, so do the clumsy flashbacks and corny lines: this relies on cheap tricks to force tears, even if those tricks work. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Shallow homilies ultimately dominate, but there's a deeper movie trying to get out from behind the greeting card. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: 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 more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: Those easily moved will sniffle as cued; anyone else is likely to remain dry-eyed. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Village Voice: This handsomely shot melodrama has a twist too peculiar to dismiss as some two-bit Nicholas Sparks weepie. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: The movie has a machine-extruded gloss that makes it harder, not easier, to swallow its difficult emotions. Read more