What If It Works?

There are some sweet moments and powerful acting sequences, but they are few.

There is still a warmth that culminates in a cliché ending that makes an aussie film worth the watch and I enjoy all romances, but in comparison to other films in its genre this piece was without much depth.

Hate to be overly critical but when you make to it the screen you're competing with the big players whether you have budget or not, the viewers expectations is the commercial reality.

Having that many personality disorders is a fairly fresh concept, that could have been worked through more.

The worst part is for us that have been in the system and seen these disorders up close.....it's not the stuff that entertaining movies are made of....to say the least.

And of course the elephant in the room is that its a pale imitation of Silver Linings who direct traffic which much more subtlety and grace.

Curious to know if the drag queens were slipped in there for diversity sake? The ethnic video dance guy did not push the story forward in anyway but was merely a hook to bring them back into the final Act. A real waste of story telling space.

The female lead could do great justice to something similar, hope to see it tried again.

On a side note, Netflix is really giving us a plethora of B grade movies, don't upscale ratings based on the feel good vibe of your hometown or that you liked an actor in other roles. Everyone's time is too valuable to not share the truth.

Zany, sweet. A lovely presentation of love in the context of mental disorder. Quirky Australian romcom. Recommended to all fans of He Died With A Felafel, Muriel and such.

There's much to admire about 'What if it works'. Romi Trower has written and directed a very personal and at times confronting drama which has a few lighter moments to humanise and ease the pain that is being depicted so beautifully by her actors. Essentially this is a two hander, even though it has a welcome comeback for Kaarin Fairfax (a terrific and all too absent actor from our screens) and features several supporting and incidental characters.

An unlikely pairing of an OCD with a Multiple Personality Disorder makes for an interesting set of quirks and traumas alike, with Luke Ford and Anna Samson truly inhabiting their challenging roles. Luke Ford is a terrific actor (an award winner for 'Black Balloon' nearly a decade ago, and Anna Samson is a revelation for me here, as I was unfamiliar with her work. There is something intrinsically likable about Luke; he seems to be drawn to damaged or challenged figures, but he brings huge warmth and heart to 'Adrian'. It is to be sure, an overly mannered performance, and depending on whether a viewer can appreciate both the condition that the actor is portraying as well as the fact that he is an actor bringing the script to life, this may be too heightened a performance, but he won me over.

Anna Samson has an equally difficult challenge; set of challenges with multiple personalities to explore and portray with a point of difference for each one. Her range is impressive and I look forward to seeing more major films for this actress.

There is a sweetness to 'What if it works' that kept me connected; even when I was a little distanced by the self conscious style of a number of the performances. It is not an easy tightrope to walk in bringing mental illness and conditions as debilitating as these, yet still making a narrative that is palatable for audiences. I hope this film finds an audience, as it is very hope-filled and sincere in its wish to take some stigma out of illness, and replace it with life and love and positivity.

This film tells the story of a man with OCD and a woman with multiple personality disorder.

There's always a danger of making fun of psychiatric issues in a comedy dealing with psychiatry. Fortunately, this film treads the fine line well, and delivers laughs without being insensitive. It even tells the pain of having such mental health problems, and the stress of being a carer. It is a delightful romantic comedy, and I enjoyed watching it.

2017, how was this 2017?

The way mental illness is depicted in this lemon is staggering. Luke Ford's portrayal of OCD should be offensive to ALL. Also Melbourne looks like a dirty place.