Diminished Capacity (2008)

A Chicago journalist suffering from memory loss takes leaves from his job and returns to his rural hometown, where he bonds with his Alzheimer's-impaired uncle Rollie and his old flame.

Director:

Terry Kinney

Writers:

Doug Bost (additional written material), Sherwood Kiraly

Stars:

Matthew Broderick, Virginia Madsen, Alan Alda

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Broderick	...	Cooper
Virginia Madsen	...	Charlotte
Alan Alda	...	Uncle Rollie Zerbs
Jimmy Bennett	...	Dillon
Louis C.K.	...	Stan
Jim True-Frost	...	Donny Prine
Dylan Baker	...	Mad Dog McClure
Bobby Cannavale	...	Lee Vivyan
Jeff Perry	...	Casey Dean
Lois Smith	...	Belle Tyke
Tom Aldredge	...	Wendell Kendall
Ray Thomas	...	Gordy
Chris Bauer	...	Lloyd
Heidi Neurauter	...	Irene Sasso
Carolyn Baeumler	...	Diane McClure

Storyline

Cooper is a Chicago journalist with post-concussion memory loss. His mother wants help moving Uncle Rollie, who's facing his own fading memory, into a care home. Cooper's boss tells him to take a few days, so Cooper drives home. Rollie doesn't want to move, and his salvation may be a rare baseball card of a 1908 Chicago Cub. Maybe they can sell it in Chicago for enough for Rollie to live at home with help. Cooper teams up with Charlotte, his recently-divorced high-school flame, and her son; they take Rollie to a memorabilia market. Rollie insists on keeping the card in his pocket, while more than one rascal wants to divest the old man of his treasure. Can the underdogs carry the day?

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Plot Keywords:

memory | journalist | memory loss | baseball card | old flame | 

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Taglines:

Confusion loves company.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Capacité réduite

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$11,832 (USA) (4 July 2008)

Gross:

$21,291 (USA) (18 July 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plum Pictures, Hanson Allen Films, Hart-Lunsford Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Wildfire is played by David Martin Rose. On his first day working as an intern for the sound department, David was approached by director Terry Kinney, and was asked to read for the part.

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Goofs

When Cooper grabs Dillon his hand on his arm moves between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Gupta: I don't have you tell you that you're still recovering from your injury. But if it's an emergency, I guess... Where does your uncle live?
Cooper: Missouri. La Porte.
Dr. Gupta: Who ask you to go down?
Cooper: Well I got a call from
[checking notes]
Cooper: from my mother, and I guess he's having some problems.
Dr. Gupta: Huh...
Cooper: Yeah. Yeah, she could be exaggerating a little.
Dr. Gupta: Disorientation? Confusion?
[...]

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Soundtracks

"Bill"
written by Mark Orton
performed by Tin Hat Trio

User Reviews

Sweet and touching

I saw this film last night and I really enjoyed it. It showcased some human elements that have been forgotten by Hollywood. Sense of family, memories and bonds that are easily dismissed in today's world. Wonderful performances by the whole cast, especially Alan Alda and Matthew Broderick. Two comedic legends, but what touched me was the compassion that both their characters showed for each other. It was a comedy but personally, I found the sweetness more compelling than the comedy. I would recommend it for people who prefer dialogue and listening to the characters to the standard big noise movies that seem to dominate the film world.