Rated:
R
Stars:
Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Tim Robbins, Pink, Patrick
Fugit
Director:
Stuart Blumberg
Genre:
Dark Comedy
Apparently,
the difference between a "normal" guy and a sex addict is
that the normal guy will see an attractive woman on the street and
start having fantasies about her. The sex addict will observe the
same woman, have those same fantasies, and then act on them in some
inappropriate way. In essence, then, the difference is one of
self-control. Which should confirm many of the suspicions you've had
about us all along, ladies!
Thanks
For Sharing follows three New Yorkers whose lives intersect
as they work their 12-Step program for sex addiction. There is Adam,
(Mark Ruffalo) who is a good looking, successful guy who would seem
to have it all. He is now five years "sober". (It's
interesting that they use the AA parlance in all of these programs
to denote the abstaining from self-destructive behaviors.) When
Adam stays in a hotel room he has to have the TV removed because it
would be too tempting for him to watch porn and fall back into his
old ways. Committed relationships are encouraged in the program, and
Adam begins something with a blonde named Phoebe, (Gwyneth Paltrow)
whose overindulgence has to do with exercise and fitness.
Mike
(Tim Robbins) is a burly middle-aged guy who seems to have his
doo-doo together and acts as a sponsor within the program. But he has
issues with his son, Danny, (Patrick Fugit) who has his own issues
with substance abuse.
And
then there is Neal, (Josh Gad) who provides the true comic presence
in this dark comedy that is otherwise mostly...dark. Neal is a
roly-poly emergency room doctor who has been court ordered to do
12-Step because he does things like rub up against women on the
subway.
The
three story lines work well in Thanks For Sharing because
each of our protagonists is struggling to keep it together in his own
way, and there is nothing that renders one more human--and thus
worthy of rooting for--than to have his demons laid bare for all to
observe. And what come through loud and clear is that even those of
us who are considered to be more or less normal--whatever that means
in a world where the inmates appear to be running the asylum--may be
regarded as such because we're a little more adept at keeping our
compulsions under wraps. (Carlos Danger notwithstanding!)
On
the one hand, I want to say that Thanks For Sharing is
one of the best movies I've seen this year. On the other, I wish they
could have dialed it back a bit on the melodrama to make it more
believable. In certain places I felt that the film was right on the
verge of turning into Reefer Madness for
sex addiction. (If you recall, the campy, moralistic melodrama from
the thirties had people turning into monsters after smoking one
joint.) Case in point: There is one character here, a young female,
who is so over the top on the bizarre meter that her scene would be
downright laughable if it weren't so godawful gritty and scary.
So
for the first time, I'm giving a film a dual rating. The first is for
the performances of this fine ensemble cast and as a creative work as
a whole. Grade
: A
The
second is for realism. Grade: C
JILL'S TAKE
Two
ratings? Gimme a break, Tim. I agree wholeheartedly with your first
one. THANKS FOR SHARING is an excellent movie on many, many levels.
The acting is top-notch, the characters are spot on. And I would bet
my virginity (long gone) that the script writers are all in some 12
Step program. They know the jargon, the games 'newbies' play, the
egos that won't quit. Because all these 12 step programs
encourage rigorous honesty—the hardest thing for
addicts of any kind to get in touch with—let me begin by saying I
am seventeen years sober and have attended a mountain of AA meetings.
(As well as ACOA, Al-Anon and CODA) In other words, when I say THANKS
FOR SHARING is the real deal, I know whereof I speak.
For
me, the standout performance in this film is given by Josh Gad. Who
is this guy and why haven't I seen him before? Probably because I
don't watch The Daily Showwhere he plays a regular
correspondent. Nor have I seen "The Book of Mormon" where
he played Elder Arnold Cunningham. Anyway, he has the knack of
turning his perversions into humorous bits—until they finally get
him fired.
Another
actor who deserves a nod is Pink (Alecia Beth Moore) who plays Dede,
the female version of a sex addict. The interplay between her and
Neal (Gad), really illustrates how vital friendships between fellow
sufferers can be. They are one of the cornerstones of recovery. I
remember when I was first getting sober, I connected with a gal named
Brenda. Under different circumstances we would never have been
friends. But our need to connect, to support each other in times of
temptation was invaluable. What I'm curious to know is whether people
with no personal 12 step experience will understand how essential
going to meetings, working the steps, getting a sponsor is after
seeing THANKS FOR SHARING.
GRADE:
A +
