Beyond Therapy

I gave Altman's Prairie Home Companion my first 10, and I have watched MASH and Gosford Park many times, but this film is an embarrassment. The dialog is boring. It feels like ad lib filler. There are a few clever scenes, but for the most part you keep waiting for something to happen that never does.

It gets its cheap laughs from stereotype gay characters.

The colour reminded me of home movies of the 1950s. The sound was muddy.

I turned off the video several times watching it out of boredom, and returned later, to give it another chance. After all, this IS Altman, Glenda Jackson and Jeff Goldblum.

Whoever thought of bringing Christopher Durang and Robert Altman together has never mixed oil with water. Never have two artists been more obviously mismatched. Altman creates dark little moody set pieces, and moves at his own leisurely (and idiosyncratic) pace; Durang's fast little funny script practically begs for a crackling speed-thru, and this movie goes on forever. Still, if you're not familiar with Durang or if you can watch this without any preconceived notions, there are some very funny moments, and Christopher Guest, as always, is priceless.

What the Hell was that? I'm normally an Altman defender in all cases - I'm a fan of stuff like That Cold Day in the Park, Quintet and Pret-a-Porter - and I've never seen him as a hit-or-miss director who has directed half masterpieces and half flops, as his reputation tends to go. But this is truly a disaster! It's based on a stage play by Christopher Durang, who also adapted this screenplay with Altman. I just can't imagine anyone sitting in the audience watching this garbage thinking, "Oh, man, that would make a great movie!" unless the play was significantly different on stage. I kind of doubt it, though. It has such a peculiar energy, and it's not much like anything else Altman made. It feels like something pretentious people might have enjoyed on stage, more likely in the 60s than in the 80s, because it's just so odd. I'm usually a fan of odd, but this one almost made me violently angry at times. Jeff Goldblum stars as a bisexual man living with his boyfriend (Christopher Guest), but trying to branch out into women. He meets Julie Hagerty on a blind date, and they immediately hate each other. After therapy sessions and a second blind date (they both change their ads slightly but end up together again), they hit it off, much to Guest's chagrin. Every character in the movie is constantly going to their therapist (the two therapist characters are played by Glenda Jackson and Tom Conti). No one acts like a human being in this film, just weird simulacra making faces at each other. There's hardly a laugh in it, and the actors universally embarrass themselves. Better off completely forgotten.

Jeff Goldblum plays a charismatic bisexual man living with his insecure gay lover (Christopher Guest) while also pursuing a relationship with the neurotic Julie Hagerty. Guest resents having to share his boyfriend with a woman, and both Goldblum and Hagerty are under the dubious care of psychiatrists who spend more time indulging their own carnal affair than treating their patients. The film follows a few chaotic days in their lives.

I usually enjoy Robert Altman's films, but 'Beyond Therapy' is a trainwreck. There are glimpses of a worthwhile movie here, but the direction sabotages it at every turn. The sets feel stagey and artificial, Altman leans too heavily on roving camera shots outside of windows, the music frequently drowns out dialogue, and an overlong slow-motion sequence-meant to be comical, I think-comes off as idiotic.

The script is just as weak. The plot is barely there, riddled with logic gaps, and capped off with a finale that feels completely disconnected from the climax. The female characters are homophobic, the male characters are chauvinistic, and none of them are particularly likable - a real travesty, given the strong performances. As a gay man who lived through the '80s, I can't say I was shocked by the bad characterizations, but younger viewers might find them outright offensive. I haven't seen the play that this was adapted from, so I can't comment on what Altman did to Christopher Durang's material, but allegedly, he heavily revised it.

The only reason to watch 'Beyond Therapy' is for the cast. Goldblum is effortlessly charming, Hagerty plays her role to the hilt, and Guest adds some much-needed depth to a stereotypical character. If you're looking for an Altman film that treats LGBT themes with more dignity, seek out 'Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.' And if you just want an absurd sex farce, 'Pajama Tops' is just as dated-but at least it manages to be funny more often than not.

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