Numb (2007)

A chronically depressed screenwriter desperately tries to cure his condition when he meets the girl of his dreams.

Director:

Harris Goldberg

Writer:

Harris Goldberg

Stars:

Matthew Perry, Lynn Collins, Kevin Pollak

2 wins.

Cast

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

Storyline

Hudson Milbank is a successful Hollywood screenwriter who suddenly and 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 to actually start feeling again. From the writer of Deuce Bigalow, comes NUMB, a romantic comedy following an unusual man looking for strange love.

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Plot Keywords:

mental illness | depression | doctor patient relationship | nudity | female frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

Love is better unmedicated.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug use and sexual content/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official soundtrack site

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 2008 (Romania)

Also Known As:

Fapofa

Filming Locations:

Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fries Film Group, Insight Film Studios, Paul Schiff Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

After Hudson steals the sneakers, he is shown running down a brick walkway past a sandwich sign for a nail salon. The phone number on the bottom of the sign has a 604 area code which is for the lower mainland of British Columbia in Canada, not for the Los Angeles area, which the story is set in.

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Quotes

Hudson: I don't keep bottled water in the house because I believe it's a scam.

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Soundtracks

Bohemian Like You
Written by Courtney Taylor-Taylor
Published by Dandy Warhol Music (BMI)
Performed by The Dandy Warhols
Used Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film and Television Music

User Reviews

Loved it!

JeffAbu Blog Numb is, in reality (or unreality) a wake up call There are movies that, in time, garner a cult following, for reasons most people can't fathom, or don't care too. This is likely to happen with Harris Goldberg's "Numb." The scant reviews emerging from the Tribeca Film Festival thus far have pointed out that the script is pretty much autobiographical, based on Harris Goldberg's own experience with something called Depersonalization, triggered by pot. Sounds like a pretty extreme and rare reaction to weed, and a pretty weak premise on which to base an entire movie, right? No. Just the opposite. Depersonalization Disorder is something quite real, and a condition that, incredibly, affects more people than either schizophrenia or bi-polar disorders. Yet few people, even relatively few health professionals have ever heard of it. It can be triggered by various forms of stess or trauma, as well as things like LSD and marijuana. The confusion, frustration and inability to deal with "normal" life that often marks DPD is portrayed beautifully by Matthew Perry, whose eyes, at times reveal the void left behind by a soul that has simply disappeared. Lack of affect, "numbness" is just one of many symptoms of depersonalization, but it is likely the one most movie viewers can relate to, and perhaps, the simplest to portray. In this sense, Harris Goldberg has wisely avoided extensive diving into the fearfully negative and hopeless waters of DPD. Instead, he gives us important glimpses into the overall angst of the condition as well as the sufferer's desperate efforts to resume a "normal" life. And he manages to do this within a comedic context. DPD is NOT depression, you see, nor is it humorless. People with the condition are often highly intelligent, and more often than not, they can exhibit extreme insight and a biting wit, simply because their ego, or lack thereof, never stands in the way. Ultimately, this film marks the very first mention of Depersonalization Disorder on the big screen. It is the first depiction of someone who has it. On top of it, Goldberg has generously shown Perry reading the only authoritative book on the condition "Feeling Unreal" right in the middle of the film. Creating this film, which is funny and highly entertaining by any standard, marks a singlar act of courage on the part of the writer/director. According to Hollywood: Everyone knows that pot is always harmless, right? Wrong. According to the medical profession: Depersonalization is just a symptom of some other condition, right. Wrong again. Goldberg has, if nothing else, boldly stated these truths by tickling the funnybone rather than the temporal lobe. Literally millions of people already know these truths, and therein lies the film's audience, for a long long time. posted on Sunday, May 13, 2007 11:34 PM by JeffAbu