source: Beyond Therapy

Moviecut—Beyond Therapy

Beyond Therapy

A complete flop with no redeeming points. It may have made a good play, it could even make a good satirical novel, but this effort wasted any good material that may have been there. I knew that the talent in the movie were capable, and I have seen the idea executed with some success before, so I was expecting the movie to 'come together' at some point. It never did. A brief monologue by Goldblums character near the very end was interesting, as it seemed to convey the 'point' (or intention) of the movie, for those that missed it in the preceding hour and more of film. The likely fail was in the directing I felt. Miss this one, unless you are a big fan of one of the players and a bit of a completest.

This is a film that I have put off watching for over 30 years and now I know why! Its just not that funny. Its just annoying with irritating whiny voices! There is so many brilliant films in the world to watch, and this is not anywhere near that!

Altman usually is brilliant, but after many viewings of "Beyond Therapy" it does not come together, as a comedy. And I wanted it to be great. As usual, Altman, records the sound, in a real life conversational style, you have to strain to hear the lines. A second viewing will get you into the comedy, but you will have to work for it. Odd casting left me cold, but they did well, especially Glenda Jackson, and I loved her best. One of Ms. Jackson's last film appearances, before becoming a PM in England. Clever shots, in the window from the outside, was realistic, as you felt you were actually overhearing therapy sessions. Bein a family therapist myself, I found the story especially, amusing. They must have had a lot of fun, making this film. I wish I could have joined in the party, but felt remotely distant from the action, as an uninvited guest. Stage play originally, which had a short run in LA. Eat before you see this film, as the film's story will leave you hungry for dinner.

"Beyond Therapy", much like Brian De Palma's "Bonfire Of The Vanities" which I also watched recently, was a huge critical and commercial flop by a top-rank American director, a few years before their careers took an upward turn. And also like "Bonfire", it is not a film without interest. It is an extremely eccentric "romantic comedy": from the first frame to the last, there is not one "normal" character or scene in the movie. It does not succeed (the slow-motion shootout parody sequence misses badly), but it's certainly an original (I liked the occasional random sound effects of car crashes somewhere in the background), and Julie "Airplane" Hagerty still has her special brand of kooky charm. **1/2 out of 4.

Not only is Christopher Durang's delicious comedy totally ruined on film, the sound quality in many scenes is so bad, it is a painful strain on the ears of the viewers. Often Julie Hagerty's soft voice is completely drowned out by traffic and other background noises. Somebody, please remake this one!

Suffice it to say, Altman totally botches Chris Durang's first stage to screen transfer by inflicting his insidious sense of style and humor -- which, while sometimes a hoot (MASH and NASHVILLE)-- here are constantly at odds with Durang's sardonic characters and quirky phrasing. Oddly though, there are super perfs by Glenda Jackson and Tom Conti. Funny line about SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY in stageplay is retained here despite Ms. Jackson's participation in the scene ("You remember...that English actress.") Altman's final pull-out is stunningly creative and confounding. What the...??? Sum-up: patrons at multiplex walk through door with sign over it simply reading "THERAPY". Indeed.

Whoever thought of bringing Christopher Durang and Robert Altman together has never mixed oil with water. Never have two artists been more obviously mismatched. Altman creates dark little moody set pieces, and moves at his own leisurely (and idiosyncratic) pace; Durang's fast little funny script practically begs for a crackling speed-thru, and this movie goes on forever. Still, if you're not familiar with Durang or if you can watch this without any preconceived notions, there are some very funny moments, and Christopher Guest, as always, is priceless.