Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Mr Black Well, this was a tough for me. I picked it up on DVD because Matthew Perry was on the cover and I'm actually a big fan of his. I think he is pretty funny in comedies and an all around good actor. For some reason I thought this was going to be a comedy. It does has some funny stuff but for the most part it is dark and moody. There are times when I felt like yelling out "snap out of it!" to his on screen character. For me there was no resolution. At the end of the film he still has his same problems, although he does get the girl. The performances though are all good. All the supporting cast is great. It just wasn't a movie I'd want to see twice. I was hoping for more funny stuff and for somehow his new love to snap him back to reality.

leplatypus If this American production fails again as usual to be imaginative in the main character's occupation (a writer...), the movie is however an excellent surprise to depict a psychological pain and the fraud of the shrinks. I know clearly of what i can write because i took this road in my past (remember my title?) and suffer the same depersonalization syndrome (in my case, the start wasn't a pot but a total burnout from college exams to stay the top of my class for a 4th year). Thus, everything I faced during this time is on the screen with great intelligence: the feeling to not recognize his own body, to disconnect from the places, the other people (the same consultations with distant psys, their drugs, their side effects and especially on male potency.the same fear of mixing words and death (mine was about thinking to stop my heart) and the same reply of no connexion. the same anxiety or hyperventilation crisis and the candid help from parents. the same indifference from psys and the same lovestruck for one (mine was a dark Italian with green eyes). And finally, the same solution to escape this doom and live again: get rid of psys, drugs and do sport and meet friends! This personal, intimate journey is here supported by a great cast: Perry is the finest member of the "friends" family with a real talent for comedy and proximity, Lynn is a fresh newcomer, Perry's friend is always funny and it was good to see again Doc's girlfriend and Cancerman! Unfortunately, this movie has great chances to fall in the movies limbos. At least, i'm happy to have found it and i urge you to do the same, even if you are not a psycho!

Panterken Since the 'friends' era (someone was bound to bring it up), Perry's films have always shared the typical romance/comedy element, although I must nuance by saying the emphasis tended to differ, but now it seems that Matt has chosen a different path, trying to prove himself as a serious actor in drama's, although he hasn't fully abjured comedy (not that he should, as long as it remains tasteful). The recent 'The Ron Clark Story' proved to be a big hit in the rose and 'Numb' was the next logical step, providing him with a more challenging and diverse role even namely a screenwriter having to deal with a peculiar form of depression; 'depersonalization'.Judging the authenticity of his performance is very hard, seeing that I, like most people, have never heard of the condition in question. I do believe most reviews coming from people suffering from it or having suffered from it in the past were predominantly positive. Perry's natural charm and his impression of being clumsy have to be suppressed, and having dealt with depression in real life the actor can dig into his own experience to come up with a real life character, and he does so with furore, wisely underplaying and steering away from his typical comedy style, meanwhile the film still has a lot of off beat comedy moments to lighten the material at hand a bit, certainly a welcome comical relief. The low-key tone of the film might make it difficult for some people to access, but I would still recommend it to most people.7.7/10

dKateC Just saw "Numb" tonight at the Ojai Film Festival. The whole audience laughed and stayed "in" the movie the entire time. There was not a break in continuity or a weak moment in the film. Now there is stillness and quiet and depth at times which some might interpret as "slow moving" but it is real. And the depth allows for the audience to slow down enough to really see the motivation in a character's eyes. It is an uncomfortable film at times. You want the main character to "snap out of it" or "do the right thing" at moments but he is real. You want it all sewn up at times it isn't. But that is what makes for good writing and good films to me-- when you actually go within the movie and want to motivate the characters. Just remember that when you see Steenburgen's character in the restaurant scene!This film works well to show a form of mental illness that isn't overt and is so hard, so subtle to understand. It also is delightful because it is an autobiographical account of much of what the writer/director himself faced. I loved that the main character keeps going back to how/if he caused this to happen. I also like that Hudson (Perry's Character) keeps chasing the cure in spite of dealing with so many doctors who cannot help or therapists who are unprofessional. I think that's the story of so many who deal with personality disorders.The quiet Perry assumes in this role is much like the odd sadness of Murray in "Broken Flowers" and the madness of the psychologists and psychiatrists involved reminded me a touch of "Running with Sissors".I hope this film gets good distribution because so many will benefit from seeing it. I look forward to seeing how Matthew Perry's career is changed as he can obviously play a very serious leading role with much depth. He is no longer just a "friend".