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I was going to criticize the movie for expecting me to believe that the nasal, twangy Vincent Gallo could ever be a real world talk show star, but then I remembered Conan O'Brien. So I'll criticize this movie for all of it's other unfortunate glaring shortcomings. Firstly, it's way too in love with itself, constantly pausing for us to admire it's daring brilliance and hip, snarky outrageousness. Some people might find it edgy but it's actually a rather staid, unremarkable, conventional study of celebrity life and all the attendant madness. It's more than common knowledge that many, if not most, talented performers are also afflicted with various forms of mental illness. Depression, bi-polar disorder,and even schizophrenia are frequently driving creative stars to exceptional extremes. So this analysis of the successful talk show host Bobby Bishop is redundant. Just witnessing a talk show star's actual performance is in fact a clinical analysis of their pathology. Dave Letterman, for instance, nightly exposes his damaged, twisted psyche to the nation. We are entertained by his otherwise socially aberrant behavior. If, however, we daily had to encounter such a bitter, cantankerous conflicted personality we would most likely move to another state. There's so many stories, many told by Dave himself, of just how antisocial he actually is. But he's managed to direct his neurosis into an entertaining and lucrative direction. And what about Johnny Carson or Jack Parr who we now know were sufferers of bouts of extreme depression? And Regis Philbin? He has admitted the same.

So exposing mental illness in the entertainment industry is old news, no longer a headline. Nor was it in 2001 when this film was released, but we're expected to be shocked and confused and fascinated by our hero's condition. It's a mildly interesting personal fact, nothing more, if you're judging by society's enthusiastic consumption of the latest varieties of mood elevating medications; we ARE the Prozac nation.

Anyway, Gallo has been in a few very interesting, off beat, challenging, controversial films, normally portraying quirky, troubled somewhat threatening but charismatic types. He's trying it again here, but that personality profile just doesn't work for this role. He comes off so self conscious and distracted that it's impossible to believe he was ever anything but repulsively narcissistic. A true talk show star is able to at least present a credible appearance of interest for others. Even the preposterous Larry King had an uncanny ability to stare his guests straight in the eye while his mind drifted to thoughts of what he'll order at Katz's deli later that evening. Actually, later that afternoon, you know, while they're still offering the early bird special.

So the love story is interesting, many of the conversations are entertainingly witty and clever, and a few of the situations are comical and original. But the timing is too often way off - stilted, rushed, erratic or rambling - probably because much of it seems improvised. And badly edited. Or rather, overly obviously edited, calling attention to its precious, wacky insouciance. I have never before used that word, insouciance, in writing, but this film demanded it of me. That should tell you just how frustrated I am with this well intentioned, but ultimately fatally flawed bit of stylized indulgence.

Love Gallo, that's gotta be stated up front, that's why I wanted to see this film in the first place. He's great in it, of course, as 'empty' talk show host Bobby Bishop, searching the streets of New York City for his lost true love, Lily (Courtney Cox). There's a lot of other stuff going on as well (a LOT of stuff) - crazy people trying to steal Matthew Broderick's dog (to get closer to Sarah Jessica Parker), Lily's mother (the great Anne Meara), who is - get this - practicing to be a homeless person (just in case), gay boyfriends, insane friends, lying hookers, Bobby's beyond-brown-nosing manager (the fabulous Jeffrey Tambor, who played basically the same role on Gary Shandling's show). I think this is the main reason the movie is just not very satisfying -- there's simply too #$@kin' much going on, for $@#(*&ts sake.

If some of these characters had been left out (like most of them), and we had gotten to focus more on Bobby and his self-destructive-but-trying-oh-so-hard-to-make-it-work character, Get Well Soon would have been a far better movie. Gallo, with all his good/bad-and-everything-inbetween contradictions gloriously blazing in full form, could have easily carried the day.

The person everyone is hoping will Get Well Soon is TV talk show host Bobby Bishop as played by Vincent Gallo. The guy who most wants him to get well is Gallo's agent Jeffrey Tambor. His career rides on Gallo's career.

But they both look like they're circling the bowl as Gallo makes some rather crude remarks to a female guest. Immediately he's checked into a mental hospital with the explanation he's suffering a nervous breakdown.

Get Well Soon is a combination of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Network and a few other films thrown in for good measure. It doesn't really succeed at being a good imitation of either of those classics. It gets really dull in spots, it has no real life to it.

It's just a bad imitation of some good classics.

Bobby (Vincent Gallo), a very successful national television talk show host, stationed in Los Angeles, is having a near-breakdown. He begins asking very inappropriate questions to a beautiful female guest and, shortly after, takes a leave of absence. What is really bothering Bobby is that, long ago and far away, his name was Kevin and he gave up a nice relationship with Lily (Courteney Cox) to pursue his professional ambitions. Lily, who lives in New York City, is living with a jerk (Tate Donovan) and is still seething from Bobby's rejection, even though she watches Bobby's show consistently. But, she also has other problems to deal with, including a mentally ill brother and an eccentric mother (Anne Meara). When Bobby/Kevin comes home to the Big Apple and tries to contact her, will she answer his calls? This film has some very good messages about life and a fine cast. Gallo and Cox are attractive folks who command attention from the viewer, with Meara doing a nice job, too. Add on some good-looking costumes, sets, and production values and you have an eye-catching film. However, even though the script has its heart in the right place, that is, one should never choose success over personal happiness, it employs way too much bad language for comfort, in my opinion. Too bad one can not choose the "clean version" of a film, as one can do when buying a music CD. In any case, if you love romance and/or lesser-known films of quality, this is a good choice. But, if bad language offends you, you should go with something else, such as Return to Me.

Mr Vincent Gallo is an absorbing, eye-catching beast. Whilst immediately drawn to his fractured features, it is his concentrated screen presence that you hold in mind. Here he plays Kevin, in the guise of the Bobby Bishop, a late-night talk-show host. Becoming increasingly aware of his frustrating emptiness, he starts to twist free of the ever-pandering agents, artists and parasites that accompany his fame. His thoughts turn to an abandoned love (Courteney Cox), and returning home for a reconciliation, encounters involving and amusing obstacles such as thieves, hookers, imitators, mental patients and the police. This is clearly Vincent's film, from the music to the awakened speech to camera near the end, however Courteney Cox performs admirably and the scenes with her mother are played well. The rest of the cast fill their scenes with delirious energy, although the wonderful talents and Romanian beauty of Elina Lowensohn were not rewarded with enough screen time. Director Justin McCarthy's direction is crisp. He develops the story well, and has framed New York nicely. Keep an eye out for 'Jump', an earlier piece of work.