Beyond Therapy (1987)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Christopher Durang (play)
Christopher Durang (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Gay Interest | Therapist | Psychiatry | Independent Film | Based On Play

Cast

Julie Hagerty	...	Prudence
Jeff Goldblum	...	Bruce
Glenda Jackson	...	Charlotte
Tom Conti	...	Stuart
Christopher Guest	...	Bob
Geneviève Page	...	Zizi
Cris Campion	...	Andrew
Sandrine Dumas	...	Cindy
Bertrand Bonvoisin	...	Le Gérant
Nicole Evans	...	The Cashier
Louis-Marie Taillefer	...	Le Chef
Matthew Leonard-Lesniak	...	Mr. Bean (as Matthew Lesniak)
Laure Killing	...	Charlie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Françoise Armel	...	Zizi's Friend
Sylvie Lenor	...	Zizi's Friend
Anne Monner	...	Zizi's Friend
Joan Tyrrell

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:16 | USA:R | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

Altman made considerable changes to Christopher Durang's screenplay adaptation of his own play. Durang later described the film as "a very unhappy experience and outcome".

Quotes:

Stuart: I ejaculate quickly on porpoise!

Movie Connections:

References Every Girl Should Be Married (1948)

Soundtrack:

Someone To Watch Over Me

Outrageous--And Outrageously Under Appreciated

Christopher Durang's off-Broadway play BEYOND THERAPY was a triumph, and Durang himself worked with director Robert Altman to bring it to the screen. The result is a truly remarkable film--beautifully played by a first-rate cast, quick paced, provocative, romantic, and very, very funny--that is frequently attacked for not being a line-for-line translation of the stage original.

Unlike some Altman films, BEYOND THERAPY actually offers storyline. When Prudence and Bruce (Julie Hagerty and Jeff Goldblum) meet for a blind date the result is disastrous--not surprising, when Bruce casually notes that he is bisexual and living with lover Bob (Christopher Guest.) Prudence and Bruce rush back to their therapists (Tom Conti and Glenda Jackson, respectively) for advice... but their therapists are nuttier than they are, and soon they, Bob, Bob's mother Zizi (Genevieve Page), and the entire waitstaff of a French restaurant are dragged into the fray.

Durang's script adaptation and Altman's wall-of-sound take on it is wickedly funny, and so many memorable lines ("My mother is NOT a transvestite!") bounce through the film that the effect is absolutely dizzying; the sound design is also memorable for the constant car crashes and china shattering that occurs in the background, a metaphor for collision of characters happening before our eyes. The entire cast is absolutely first rate (Hagerty, Goldblum, and Guest have never been better), and Altman guides them with a very sure hand.

Altman's vision always divides viewers: you either like his films or you do not. Although BEYOND THERAPY offers a relatively small cast in a cohesive story, it is actually one of Altman's most visually and aurally kaleidoscopic films, and it is unlikely to convert those who find his style confusing and frustrating. But that said, this is a must-have film for any Altman fan, a truly enjoyable romantic comedy with a razor sharp script and a joyous style. Strongly, strongly recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer