Mumford Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan Starring: James Adams, Ted Danson, Hope Davis, Loren Dean, Jason Lee, Mary McDonnell, David Paymer, Martin Short, Robert Stack, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Alfre Woodard Running time: 111 minutes My rating (5 star scale): ***1/2
Mumford (Dean) is a psychologist who has recently opened a practice in the town of Mumford. He is highly successful and it seems every citizen of prominence in the town comes to him. Among his patients are the local pharmacist with a rich fantasy life in which he never appears, a high school girl suffering from anorexia, a housewife who can't stop buying things, a young divorced woman with chronic fatigue syndrome, and a billionaire who just isn't happy.
Everything seems ideal on the surface. But there are problems. Mumford isn't quite what he seems to be. A rejected patient, Short playing the sneaky annoying guy he always plays, tries to create problems for Mumford. The local billionaire has some unusual requests. And Mumford finds himself falling in love with one of his patients.
I watched this film with a friend who took umbrage at the underlying message, that serious illnesses like anorexia and chronic fatigue syndrome can be cured by having a friend or getting a date. Of course, this film isn't a serious attempt at espousing a treatment and Mumford's methods are not to be taken seriously. But I suspect some people will be upset at this depiction.
This is a funny movie. It's also pretty obvious. You are never surprised at any of the revelations or at the final turn of events. But it does make you laugh. And what more can you want from a comedy?
-- Allan Jenoff Check out my web page at http://www.interlog.com/~jenoff/
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