Willkommen in Freak City

This is a story of Ruth (Samantha Mathis) a young disabled woman who was living with her grandmother. The grandmother dies and the Ruth has lost her home and her caregiver. She is forced to move into a nursing home by her scheming family since they hold the power of attorney.

This is where the story is derailed. Perhaps 50 years ago it would be plausible for a competent person to be committed to a home against their will, but not now. There is no way for this to happen. Ruth is of sound mind, and she is able to manage her life except she is unable to walk. She could leave the hospital or nursing home any time she wanted, they can't hold you since these places aren't prisons. The only time you can be held against your will is if you're held on a psychiatric charge (a danger to yourself or to others), and that only is for 3 days.

So the movie starts off on the wrong foot, and it doesn't improve much from there. The characters are the typical quirky one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs you find in these types of pictures; a waste of a good cast. Then there is a love story, a fight against the family and the dealings with the other patients in the home. The story takes no risks and explores no new territory.

If the writers tried a little harder, they could have made a compelling story of a woman facing a serous debilitating disease and how she copes. Rather than a forced admission where she is held against her will, they could have given us a the real world scenario where Ruth runs out of choices and has to live in the nursing home because there is no other place for her to go. Her sole remaining family won't take her, and conspires to get the grandmother's house, leaving Ruth with no alternatives. We could see how she deals with her fellow patients in the home, how she deals with her illness, and how she fights to get back her house. If the writers gave us a story of a real struggle then it would be a film that means something. Instead the writers took the easy way with clichéd villains, badly written characters, and a ridiculous story. Could have been much better.

Other reviewers focused on the improbable circumstances of the story. Being familiar with institutions, asylums, and homes since the mid-60s I can vouch for there still being plenty of places like those depicted to warehouse the unwanted. Having paperwork makes it easier even if it's the wrong paperwork. This holds true for adults; there are plenty of ways to entangle them in the system.

What I really wanted to those who care that the movie is full of strong language. Many of the characters toss off obscenities easily. I am used to a TV-14 being roughly equivalent to PG-13. The PG-13 however only permits limited strong language and this film runs way beyond counting. I do not know that the rest of the content would have warranted an R rating in theaters. The language would have to be toned down to get the PG-13, however, as the f-bomb detonates more than I would want my children to hear. More than I want to hear too now that I am thinking about it.

Otherwise cast members each have beautiful scenes that highlight their strengths as actors. Watching that is a real pleasure since there is so much talent pooled in this cast. Also nice that the movie is old enough that many are caught before their careers took off.

Samantha Mathis, Jonathan Silverman, and Natalie Cole? Sounds like it ought to be trite and even a bit goofy or silly...however, I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Ruth (Mathis) undergoes a beautiful transformation in this film. She finds her life in utter upheaval after the death of her grandmother. Dealing not only with that loss, she must also seek to find personal peace in Lewellyn, a care facility she is placed in against her will by her aunt.

It is here that she encounters Lenny (Silverman), Cass (Matlin), Elanor (Cole), and Cal (Sarsgaard). Each facing their own affliction, Ruth must learn to deal with her MS.

I must take a moment to applaud Peter Sarsgaard's performance as Cal. Through his conversations on Dante's inferno and his own personal demons rising to the surface, he monopolized my attention. He is phenomenal, powerful, real, and, above all, believable.

I urge you all to rent this, especially if you are involved in any way with health care. This is a beautiful story and film deserving more attention.

Caution: there are, at times, some predictable moments, Natalie's song does seem to be about two verses too long, and Lenny's mother (who you'll know as Roseanne's sitcom mom) is unavoidably annoying.

There are very few movies that strike me as realistic in nature when it comes to dealing with the topic of medical challenges. In the movie Freak City, the viewer is given the chance to be a part of the anger and hostility that surrounds different disorders. Not only does it focus on self inflicted pain but it also takes a look at family reactions by focusing on the different ways that people cope.

Having been through the gamut with my own afflictions, I will have to say that this is a movie I truly identified with. Also, Freak City is a film that will give people a deeper insight into the lives of those that society deems handicapped.

We try not to think about a time when me might be no longer self sufficient. If we do ponder the future, I suspect most of us just think one day we'll be living, the next day we won't. No muss no fuss.

It would be too humiliating to be dependent, too embarrassing, particularly if you are still young, and young at heart. Ruth Ellison (Samantha Mathis) is a young rebellious girl, whose immediate family is gone, all but her grandmother, with whom she lives. Ruth suffers from MS and is confined to a wheelchair. When her grandmother dies one day, what remains of the normalcy in her life goes with her death, and Ruth is forcibly confined to an in-patient care facility; housing physically and mentally challenged of all ages. Can you imagine?

'Freak City' is not a traditional name, nor is it a name that generally would attract filmgoers. That this film shows a lot of early promise, then totally self-destructs halfway through is no surprise. It completely comes off the rails.

A waste of a good cast, including Marlee Matlin, and we get so little chance to see her anymore. Such a shame.