Premise: A psychiatrist takes a new job at a mental hospital and learns about his past.
Stars: Aaron Eckhart * Ian McKellen * Brittany Murphy * Nick Nolte * William Hurt
Story: Zach Riley (Eckhart) is a psychiatrist who takes a job at a new mental hospital. While employed there, he discovers that his father (Nolte), a noted children's author, had stayed there after his descent into dementia. He begins reading his father's files and learns how his father knew of another patient, the schizophrenic Finch (McKellen), and through Finch's madness, he learned of this fantasy world where Riley was conceived of as a hero. While investigating his past and treating his patients, he meets Maggie (Murphy), a childhood friend and they grow attracted to each other.
Review: The film is reminiscent of Don Juan DeMarco, where it seems allowing individuals to live within their fantasy worlds may not be such a bad thing. It's lush and soft light seems to dominate the movie, especially when Ms. Murphy is on-screen.
McKellen and Eckhart give solid performances and the film is pretty straight-forward with its appeal. Nolte (as the tortured writer and loving father who descends into madness) and Hurt (as Eckhart's boss and fellow psychiatrist) also give respectable performances.
The film is pretty standard fare, however. It is a positive film, showing that both self-discovery and coming to terms with the past can be a curative for a person feeling alone and adrift in the world.
It's enjoyable, and bittersweet for being one of the final performances of Ms. Murphy's career.
Overall: Mediocre
Other Sites:
Wikipedia * IMDb * AllMovie * Rotten Tomatoes
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