Mumford (1999)

In the small town of Mumford, a psychologist of the same name moves in and quickly becomes very popular, despite a questionable past.

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writer:

Lawrence Kasdan

Stars:

Loren Dean, Hope Davis, Jason Lee

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Loren Dean	...	Mumford
Hope Davis	...	Sofie Crisp
Jason Lee	...	Skip Skipperton
Alfre Woodard	...	Lily
Mary McDonnell	...	Althea Brockett
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Henry Follett
Zooey Deschanel	...	Nessa Watkins
Martin Short	...	Lionel Dillard
David Paymer	...	Dr. Ernest Delbanco
Jane Adams	...	Dr. Phyllis Sheeler
Dana Ivey	...	Mrs. Crisp
Kevin Tighe	...	Mr. Crisp
Ted Danson	...	Jeremy Brockett
Jason Ritter	...	Martin Brockett
Elisabeth Moss	...	Katie Brockett

Storyline

The story of two Mumfords - one a small town, the other a man. Mumford, the town, is full of people with problems, from a teenage girl who is unhappy with her looks to a local billionaire, "the king of modems", who would trade everything away if he could. So when Micky Mumford, the man, turns out to be a psychologist with slightly unusual methods he soon finds a spot in people's heart as someone to whom they can tell their secrets. But Micky too has a secret, and that one's about to hunt him down.

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Plot Keywords:

patient | psychologist | small town | college | drugs | 

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Taglines:

You don't have to be crazy to fall in love...but it helps.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sex-related images, language and drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dilidoki

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,851,291 (USA) (24 September 1999)

Gross:

$4,554,569 (USA) (26 November 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Kasdan Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Lee is a former professional skateboarder, he did all his skateboarding scenes.

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Goofs

Flesh colored "pants" are visible in the nude classroom scene.

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Quotes

Skip Skipperton: [to Mumford] Oh, she doesn't know about it yet. Right now, out of the two of us, I'm the only one in love. But I'm really stoked!

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Connections

References Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Yakety Yak"
Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Produced by Tom Weir and Phantom Planet
Performed by Phantom Planet
Courtesy of Geffen Records

User Reviews

Sneaks up on you

There's a moment in MUMFORD where Mary McDonnell, who plays a woman obsessed with buying things, is talking to Loren Dean, who plays the main character, a psychologist whose name, Mumford, is the same as the town he and McDonnell live in, and she gets the look on her face which cartoon characters get when they think of an idea(and the light bulb goes on over their head), and all of a sudden realizes what's wrong with her. In a way, this movie from writer-director Lawrence Kasdan is like that. A lot of people have complained at how slow moving this is, but it's all the better for it to sneak up on you. And instead of just providing quick fix solutions for his patients, Mumford just gently prods and nudges until they find the path for themselves. Of course, this may just be an elaborate way of saying, "Physician, heal thyself," but that may be the point.

If you look at this in one way, you might think Mumford is merely a passive character, who only comes to life when he falls in love and when his secret is revealed. But gradually, you come to realize what's going on. Not only is his reticence a cover(a good one until he's exposed), but it's a way of, as I said, just gently prodding his patients to the right path. So he is active, but just in subtle ways. You need a subtle actor to handle that, and Loren Dean does quite a good job in that department. Hope Davis, who if there's any justice in this world will become a star, is also good as the patient he falls in love with. Their scenes together reminded me of the relationship between William Hurt and Geena Davis in THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, a Kasdan film this shares a lot with. And the rest of the cast is quite good as well(it's also nice to see Elisabeth Moss, so good in IMAGINARY CRIMES, still getting work, though I hope it's bigger roles in the future).

My only complaint was the scene where Mumford explains to Jason Lee(also excellent) and us what his past really was. The details themselves were okay, but the sequence was shot in grainy video stock(I think; I'm not an expert here), which, while it pays off later, is distracting here, particularly with its point-of-view camera. Still, this is a minor quibble for a movie which will leave you with a big smile on your face the entire way through.