Shrink (2009)

Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA's top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients.

Director:

Jonas Pate

Writers:

Thomas Moffett, Henry Reardon (story)

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Joe Nunez, Mark Webber

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Spacey	...	Henry
Joe Nunez	...	Recording Supervisor (as Joseph A. Nuñez)
Mark Webber	...	Jeremy
Keke Palmer	...	Jemma
Sierra Aylina McClain	...	Carina
Ada Luz Pla	...	Teacher
Saffron Burrows	...	Kate
Jack Huston	...	Shamus
Pell James	...	Daisy
Mei Melançon	...	Miyu
Dallas Roberts	...	Patrick
Andrew Sibner	...	Richie
Troy Metcalf	...	O.T.
Kendall Clement	...	Uncle Jim
Jesse Plemons	...	Jesus

Storyline

In Hollywood, people in need revolve around Dr. Henry Carter, a shrink: Jack, an aging star wants permission to cheat on his wife; Shamus is a director who's a cokehead; Patrick is a high-powered germophobic producer; Jeremy is a young writer looking for a break; Jemma, a high-school student, is skipping school; and Kate is an actress facing her mid-30s. Henry's wife recently died; he's grieving, blaming himself, smoking lots of pot. Henry's friends try an intervention; someone steals a patient's file from Henry; Patrick's assistant, the pregnant Daisy, sees promise in Jeremy's work; and, Jesus, Henry's drug dealer, sells him some potent weed. Can anything good come of this?

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Plot Keywords:

shrink | drug dealer | teenage girl | hollywood sign | dead dog | 

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Taglines:

The doctor is out.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug content throughout, and pervasive language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 August 2009 (Greece)

Also Known As:

A Mente dos Famosos

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$16,443 (USA) (24 July 2009)

Gross:

$189,332 (USA) (2 October 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roadside Attractions, Ignite Entertainment, Ithaka Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 110 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Henry and Jeremy are sitting outside discussing their memories of Henry's wife, they appear to be intoxicated, but in fact are drinking from bottles of O'Douls (a non-alcoholic beverage).

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Quotes

Employer: Who is that guy?
Jeremy: He's my godbrother.

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Connections

References Fargo (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Vintage Sci-Fi Soundtrack"
Written by Darius Holbert and Willie Wisely
Performed by Darius Holbert

User Reviews

Well written and well made, but the plot is replaced with depressed characters

Kevin Spacey is the "Shrink", a pot-smoking, dejected L.A. therapist. Celebrities walk in and out of his office, leaving him even less caring. There is a fair amount of humour in the dialogue making all of the lonely, despondent people not quite as sad as they otherwise would be.

The plot should develop when he meets Jemma (Keke Palmer) a downcast teenager. She's the one that seems to tie in all the characters; the suffering screenwriter, the delusional executive, the pregnant assistant, the ageing actress, and the womanizing, alcoholic Robin Williams (I think he probably is playing his real self). It's an ensemble film with interweaving characters, but not much happens.

It gets interesting at the end, but they don't take the potential amusing conflicts anywhere, just giving the characters happier resolutions. "Shrink" is a well written, well made film, but the plot is replaced with depressed characters searching for just a little bit of meaning which the film is actually able to supply.