THE TREATMENT (2007) *** Chris Eigeman, Famke Janssen, Ian Holm, Stephanie March, Stephan Lang, Blair Brown, Harris Yulin, Roger Rees. (Dir: Oren Rudavsky)
Analyze This!: Literate rom-dramedy with stand out work by Eigeman & Janssen.
Jake Singer (Eigeman), a New York City prep school literature instructor, is in a state of flux. After a bad break-up (is there any other kind?) he runs into his ex, Julia (March of NBC's "Law & Order SVU") and opens his fresh wounds to the fact she has moved on and gotten engaged. Awkwardly he accepts her invite to an engagement dinner. This adds fuel to his fire with his visit to his passive/aggressive Argentina émigré analyst Dr. Morales (Holm), whose demeanor suggests his patient is only to blame for all his shortcomings.
While Jake stews with his domestic dilemma he's busy juggling an extracurricular activity as the school basketball team's statistician who has been attempting to mentor one of the temperamental players, a good kid who is struggling with his skills and the brow- beating by their jerk coach (Lang), who tells Jake to butt out of his methods. On top of that he is jockeying for a summer sabbatical to London for the school by making good with the headmaster (Rees) at a get-together dinner held at a trustees' widow's home.
The recent widow, Allegra Marshall (the gorgeous Janssen, best known as Jane Grey from the "X-MEN" film franchise, in one of her best performances to date), is also in a state of flux dealing with her grief at the loss of her husband, the victim of a sudden heart attack, leaving her to care for their young, impressionable son and a toddler they were in line for adopting (she has failed to report his death to the agency negotiating the legalities).
Jake is smitten with the hostess at first unknowing she is a widow and begins to take interest in her and her family. Before he knows it he is hooking up with her and when she makes her confession he is at first shocked and then relieved since all his flirting has paid off. Naturally he is scolded by Morales.
The couple gingerly eke out their newfound relationship but soon find an awkward bump when the adoption agent (Blair) makes an unexpected visit to see the welfare of the progress of the bonding between the child and the impeding parents-to-be.
Based on a novel by Daniel Menaker, Daniel Saul Housman's screenplay is literate and charming but problematic only when it uses the narrative device of the therapist to act as a surrogate conscience to Jake, popping in here and there as an unseen noodge. Rudavsky, a documentary filmmaker making his first foray as a feature film director, stumbles a little bit in some flatfooted staging, but is acquitted by the fine acting by his leads.
Eigeman, best known for his brainy, WASPy turns in Wilt Stillman and Noah Baumbach films (and if they ever did a live-action adaptation of the ARCHIE comics would be a top choice as Reggie!) , comes across as a latter- day Charles Grodin, a sardonic scold whose witty banter and cosmopolitan airs belie his insecurities, does a fine job imbuing the uncertainties and neuroses of his character that has shades of a Woody Allen manqué, but he also has some good nuanced choices in his phrasings and facial expressions underscoring the dialogue given.
Janssen proves to be a fine counterpoint, a glammed-down statuesque gal out of his league, but not entirely unlikely soul mate. She is an underused and underrated actress; this proves she can do so much with so little.
An indie sleeper that should be sought out for those who like their rom-dramedies with wit and sex appeal.
Analyze This!: Literate rom-dramedy with stand out work by Eigeman & Janssen.
Jake Singer (Eigeman), a New York City prep school literature instructor, is in a state of flux. After a bad break-up (is there any other kind?) he runs into his ex, Julia (March of NBC's "Law & Order SVU") and opens his fresh wounds to the fact she has moved on and gotten engaged. Awkwardly he accepts her invite to an engagement dinner. This adds fuel to his fire with his visit to his passive/aggressive Argentina émigré analyst Dr. Morales (Holm), whose demeanor suggests his patient is only to blame for all his shortcomings.
While Jake stews with his domestic dilemma he's busy juggling an extracurricular activity as the school basketball team's statistician who has been attempting to mentor one of the temperamental players, a good kid who is struggling with his skills and the brow- beating by their jerk coach (Lang), who tells Jake to butt out of his methods. On top of that he is jockeying for a summer sabbatical to London for the school by making good with the headmaster (Rees) at a get-together dinner held at a trustees' widow's home.
The recent widow, Allegra Marshall (the gorgeous Janssen, best known as Jane Grey from the "X-MEN" film franchise, in one of her best performances to date), is also in a state of flux dealing with her grief at the loss of her husband, the victim of a sudden heart attack, leaving her to care for their young, impressionable son and a toddler they were in line for adopting (she has failed to report his death to the agency negotiating the legalities).
Jake is smitten with the hostess at first unknowing she is a widow and begins to take interest in her and her family. Before he knows it he is hooking up with her and when she makes her confession he is at first shocked and then relieved since all his flirting has paid off. Naturally he is scolded by Morales.
The couple gingerly eke out their newfound relationship but soon find an awkward bump when the adoption agent (Blair) makes an unexpected visit to see the welfare of the progress of the bonding between the child and the impeding parents-to-be.
Based on a novel by Daniel Menaker, Daniel Saul Housman's screenplay is literate and charming but problematic only when it uses the narrative device of the therapist to act as a surrogate conscience to Jake, popping in here and there as an unseen noodge. Rudavsky, a documentary filmmaker making his first foray as a feature film director, stumbles a little bit in some flatfooted staging, but is acquitted by the fine acting by his leads.
Eigeman, best known for his brainy, WASPy turns in Wilt Stillman and Noah Baumbach films (and if they ever did a live-action adaptation of the ARCHIE comics would be a top choice as Reggie!) , comes across as a latter- day Charles Grodin, a sardonic scold whose witty banter and cosmopolitan airs belie his insecurities, does a fine job imbuing the uncertainties and neuroses of his character that has shades of a Woody Allen manqué, but he also has some good nuanced choices in his phrasings and facial expressions underscoring the dialogue given.
Janssen proves to be a fine counterpoint, a glammed-down statuesque gal out of his league, but not entirely unlikely soul mate. She is an underused and underrated actress; this proves she can do so much with so little.
An indie sleeper that should be sought out for those who like their rom-dramedies with wit and sex appeal.