SYNOPSIS:
SHRINK stars Kevin Spacey as Henry Carter, L.A.'s top celebrity psychiatrist with an A-list clientele, including a famous actress (Saffron Burrows), a wildly insecure young writer (Mark Webber), and an obsessive-compulsive super-agent (Dallas Roberts). Disillusioned with both his career and personal life, Henry's only hope of salvation could come from his first pro bono case, a beautiful but troubled teenage girl (Keke Palmer). But considering his present state of mind, is Henry ready for the real-life problems of someone who lives far from the Hollywood Hills?
Featuring a well-matched cast at the top of their game, SHRINK is a tart, funny, and uplifting film about the courage it takes to achieve happiness... even in Hollywood.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We know a psychiatrist helps people fight their inner demons and provides professional advice for them to move on with their traumatized lives. Ever wondered whether psychiatrists have their own inner battles to conquer? What if this overbearing stress takes a toll on their noble missions to help others? It is with this premise that this 2009 (what’s with local distributors bringing in dated movies anyway?) production sets out to explore how a shrink (hence the title, get it?) copes with his personal life.
The protagonist is a psychiatrist whose clients are luminaries in the film industry who are undergoing life crises. The shrink becomes a pothead after a personal tragedy and begins losing himself, losing all concern for his appearance and finding it increasingly difficult to help his patients.
Who better to play this tragic character than Academy Award Best Actor winner Kevin Spacey (American Beauty)? The portrayal of someone who’s undergoing extreme pain is personified by Spacey empathetically, as one sees him disheveled, alone and drinking himself to sleep. One cannot help but feel for the celebrity shrink who has to go through the heartache of promoting his successful self help book and maintaining his doctor patient relationship with troubled individuals.
The ensemble cast is well put together – Dallas Roberts (3:10 to Yuma) plays a charismatic but anxiety ridden talent agent, Jack Huston (Factory Girl) portrays a alcoholic and drug addict, Saffron Burrows (The Bank Job) plays an actress who is facing less career opportunities, while Robin Williams (August Rush), who is mysteriously not mentioned anywhere on the DVD sleeve, portrays a alcoholic celebrity who believes that he has a sex addiction. Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee) plays a troubled high school student referred to Spacey by his father.
There are a few unnecessary sub plots as well, including a pot dealer, a personal assistant and some somewhat contrived romantic associations amongst characters. These do not help to make the independent American film more engaging in any way. Instead, viewers may find these sub plots confusing and redundant to the already substantial storyline.
Production values are decent, as Lukas Ettlin and Isaac Phillips’ somewhat cold and unfeeling cinematography brings out the film’s theme. The large and luxurious house Spacey’s character stays in may overlook the Hollywood Hills, but one gets a feeling of loneliness and emptiness.
Overall, this is a film where one watches out for the stellar performances of its cast, and take a moment to reflect on how each of us may have experienced a stage in life where things got so desperate, we had to cry out for help.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
This Code 3 DVD was edited for a M18 rating. It contains an Audio Commentary with Director Jonas Pate and Producer Braxton Pope, where the two give you more insights on the character portrayals and how the cast personifies them. There are Interviews with Director Jonas Pate and Producer Braxton Pope, where you can find out how the movie came about after several revisions of the script written by Thomas Moffett in its 22 minute runtime. There are also seven minutes of Deleted Scene, a Music Video “Here” by Jackson Browne, and a Theatrical Trailer for the movie.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There is nothing to complain about the movie's visual transfer. There are 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital English tracks available.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING:
Review by John Li
Posted on 8 May 2011
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