“Charlie St. Cloud” (N)

On the brink of death after a car accident that kills his younger brother Sam, teenage sailor Charlie St. Cloud is revived by a paramedic. Nothing, however, can breathe life into “Charlie St. Cloud,” a sappy supernatural drama about how the survivor deals with the crushing loss.

Encountering his brother’s ghost in the woods after his funeral, Charlie (Zac Efron) promises to meet him there every day at dusk to play catch. Instead of heading to Stanford on a sailing scholarship (did you know such a thing existed?), Charlie stays in his small Pacific Northwest hometown and works as a caretaker at a local cemetery.

Five years later, when he falls in love with a high-school classmate who’s also an avid sailor (Amanda Crew), Charlie must decide whether to keep his promise to his brother (Charlie Tahan) or move on with his life. Cue the violins.

Director Burr Steers, working from a script by Craig Pearce and Lewis Colick, presses too many tearjerker buttons in this adaptation of Ben Sherwood’s novel. And that’s a crying shame.

NOTE: Film critic Roger Ebert is on vacation through August and will not be reviewing all releases.