A chronically depressed screenwriter desperately tries to cure his condition when he meets the girl of his dreams.
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Title: Numb (2007)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Matthew Perry | ... | Hudson Milbank | |
| Lynn Collins | ... | Sara Harrison | |
| Kevin Pollak | ... | Tom | |
| Bob Gunton | ... | Dr. Townshend | |
| Helen Shaver | ... | Audrey Milbank | |
| William B. Davis | ... | Peter Milbank | |
| Mary Steenburgen | ... | Dr. Blaine | |
| Benjamin Ratner | ... | Stan Milbank (as Ben Rattner) | |
| Noah Dalton Danby | ... | Tim (as Noah Danby) | |
| Monique Ganderton | ... | Debra | |
| Mark Acheson | ... | Homeless Guy | |
| Patricia Harras | ... | Dr. Simon | |
 |
Brad Ganes | ... | John |
| Ingrid Torrance | ... | Female Psychologist | |
| Brian George | ... | Dr. Richmond | |
Hudson Milbank is a successful Hollywood screenwriter who suddenly, strangely, finds himself without any emotional feelings. He tries doctor after doctor and shrink after shrink, but nothing works. The Golf Channel, lesbian exercise classes, and a dizzying variety of pills get him through the day but don't quite solve his problem. His writing partner tries everything to get him back to normal, but it's not until Hudson meets Sara that he finds a real motivation to get better and actually start feeling again. From the writer of Deuce Bigalow comes NUMB, a romantic comedy following an unusual man looking for strange love. Written by Anonymous
For some reason I ended up watching 3 movies about mental disorder this week. The first was "Helen" starring Ashley Judd which was very powerful but thoroughly depressing. The second was "The Bridge", a documentary showing people jumping to their deaths off the Golden Gate Bridge. Not as morbid as it sounds, but still heavy stuff. And the third was "Numb" which was totally refreshing.
Here we get Matthew Perry's unique brand of humour (charmingly cynical) but much more laid back than you'd expect from his Chandler role on Friends. Here he plays the part of a person who is mature & basically stable yet suddenly hit with an acute case of insanity. In that respect, there's almost a childlike quality to him as he seeks to discover what went wrong. I think that's what makes this so fun to watch, even though the prospect of losing one's mind is inherently depressing.
This is no madcap comedy with witty zingers & one-liners. It's more of a situational-laugh thing. Some of the gags are really subtle, like jokes set up without any punchline (which you must infer). A lot of the gags are based on crazy awkward situations. For example, a psychiatrist starts to lose it in a restaurant, talking in a controlled whisper one minute and then yelling at the busboy to "F OFF!" the next minute for filling her water glass. Lol, no punchline required.
I think this film found the perfect balance between comedy and drama. Too much comedy, and it mocks the subject. Not enough comedy and it gets depressing. "Numb" got it just right. It has both comedy as well as some insightful, dramatic moments.
If you are among the privileged few who have... shall we say... unusual brains (interpretation: total nutcase), or if you know someone who fits the description, you should watch this movie. It'll give you a greater appreciation for the people who have psychological problems as well as those who love them. And it'll do so by giving you some laughs and a smile on your face.