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 | memory loss | journalist | old man | memorabilia | 

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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:

Cardboard memories

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,832, 6 July 2008

Gross USA:

$21,659

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,719

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plum Pictures, Hanson Allen Films, Hart-Lunsford Pictures

Technical Specs

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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Connections

Referenced in American Dad!: The People vs. Martin Sugar (2010)

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Soundtracks

Bill
written by Mark Orton
performed by Tin Hat Trio

User Reviews

Is there something wrong with me?

I actually liked this film. It's a light-hearted look at people suffering from reduced mental capacity (memory loss, lapses in judgement) due to aging (portrayed by Alan Alda), or from post-concussion syndrome (portrayed by Matthew Broderick).

The main characters played their characters very well. Alan Alda especially did a remarkable acting job. Bravo Alan! I'm going to have to dig through the archives and see your earlier works as well. Very convincing as the elderly gentleman who's slowly losing his marbles while retaining a very charming outlook on life.

The storyline is quite simple. You're not watching this movie for a complex or compelling story but rather to watch the characters and how their relationships evolve with each other. Of course there has to be a romantic interest thrown in and although that was maybe one of the lesser parts of this movie, Virginia Madsen plays her part well and looks very fetching as a 40-something single mother.

7/10