Shrink (2009)

Touches You

Load of rubbish!!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Hollywood shrink Dr. Henry Carter (Kevin Spacey) is a weed-smoking drunk at home since his wife's suicide. His clients are self-obsessed with various problem in the entertainment industry. His psychiatrist father (Robert Loggia) refers troubled student Jemma (Keke Palmer) to him. Jesus (Jesse Plemons) is his drug dealer.All these Hollywood stereotypes with their problems are really tiresome. The only interesting characters are Spacey and Palmer but only when they're together. They are an electric duo. Everything else is a horribly boring drag. I couldn't care less about his patients or his family or his friends or his dealer or him talking to anybody other than Palmer. So I only found this movie compelling for about fifteen minutes in total.

I just caught this quirky movie on Netflix. Yet another exploration of the ennui that surrounds celebrity status, this is a great little gem that showcases Spacey's talents well. It came very close to being great, but stopped short, I suspect because of bad decisions in direction and editing. Characters were brought in (Robin Williams being one) for side stories which never quite connected to the main plot. Pot addiction is shown as a series of untimely naps, which is not realistic. The audience never gets a glimpse into the main character's despair, or the circumstances surrounding his wife's death. A love interest is developed and then never followed through. Characters walk in and out of the story without strong reasons. The ending is trite, as if they just needed to wrap it up. Too many loose ends, and a waste of some good talent. Nonetheless, because of Spacey (and a nod to the well-developed friendship with his drug dealer, that was fun to watch) I hung in there happily right to the end.

Perhaps I should preface this review by pointing out that I can only imagine that I am the intended target audience for this film; a student studying psychology at university, a bit of a film fanatic, a fan on Kevin Spacy's work, with a penchant for films with a sad edge. However, I don't think any of that makes my opinion invalid on this matter and I genuinely believe this is an underrated film.Critics were rather harsh on this film, as shown by the 40 average on Metacritic; however I can't help but question reviews which claim that "The more Shrink tries to get you invested in the emotional turmoil of its characters, the more you want to reach into the screen and shake them and tell them to get over themselves." At no moment did I find myself telling a man who's wife commit suicide, who felt like a fraud in his work because he was meant to be leading others to happiness when he couldn't escape depression himself, to get over himself. Nor did I feel repulsed by a daughter's plight over her mother's suicide. Of course, not all the characters' problems were as serious as this, indeed one is not supposed to feel sorry for Jack Holden (Robin Williams) or Partick (Dallas Roberts), a fact that seems to be overlooked by venom filled reviewers who condemn this as a Hollywood 'pity party'.Ultimately, however, if you look past all the resent that seems to be associated with reviewing this film you just see a really good drama, with impressive performances from the cast in general and stand-outs from Kevin Spacey (Henry) and Sierra McClain (Jemma) as the aforementioned psychiatrist and school girl, respectively, as they attempt to overcome the sense of guilt and responsibility which they associate with their loved one's suicides. Yes, the ending is somewhat contrived and can be seen a mile off, but this is a genuinely satisfying drama with some great shots and a nice, understated, soundtrack.Certainly worth a watch.

In a word - Brilliant. 'Shrink' is one of those movies with a huge cast and lots of different characters that leave you feeling quite disorientated till you work out who's who and how everyone fits together. An outstanding cast that includes Robert Loggia, Robin Williams (playing against type) Keke Williams, Saffron Burrows and Dallas Roberts led by the incomparable Kevin Spacey, who is his usual brilliant self. (Biased? ME?) The script sparkles and the characters are very engaging. A bit on the kooky side but hey, this IS Hollywood! Very funny and very scathing, Jonas Pate has turned in a winner with this one. I just can't understand why it's been overlooked in the awards department. Very highly recommended!