Mr. Jones

Fearing the worst, but realizing Mike Figgis had directed it, I decided to take a look at this 1993 picture. Never saw it in its commercial release, as it didn't stay in theaters for a long time.

This is a film about a man who is mentally unbalanced. Who could ever know what goes on in the mind of a person with a problem such as the one that afflicts Mr. Jones, the strange character that seems to be on a permanent high, as he is introduced in the first scenes of the movie.

Individuals such as Mr. Jones, in real life, go from one state of euphoria to periods of great depression. This is a study about a man that is breaking down in front of our eyes and no one has a clue of what to do with him. Eric Roth, the screen writer, seems to be telling us that hospitals such as where Mr. Jones is taken to, can do more harm than good. Evidently medicine given to these patients could well contribute to aggravate their condition.

It's only through the encounter of Jones with the psychiatrist, Dr. Bowen, that he is correctly diagnosed. In treating this man, Libby, ends up falling in love with a person who might never be cured and will live forever in a world of his own, where no one else can enter, or no one can shed any light about what will cure his condition.

Richard Gere's portrayal of Mr. Jones was quite a departure from the roles he chooses to play, usually. He makes this man compelling, as we feel sorry for what's going on in his mind. Lena Olin, is also good as the shrink that understands what's in Jones' mind. Delroy Lindo, makes another great appearance as Howard, the man who befriends the mysterious man and tries to help him. Anne Bancroft as the director of the institution doesn't have much to do.

The film, although a bit long, is never boring. It will keep any viewer interested in what will happen next, as the people suffering this disease go through all the changes caused by what is going on in their minds.

I am really surprised to see such low ratings for this film. I think it's a great insight of how people who are affected by manic depression feel and how difficult can be the job of physicians in treating them. Moreover Richard Gere's interpretation is a masterpiece. He shows both the vulnerability of an exhausted and sad man in search of understanding and acceptance, and also of course his celebrated coolness and savoir-faire with women in the character's exuberant spells. I found the picture really pleasant, funny at times and shockingly real and dramatic and full of pathos. Despite the numerous clichés (..) and the frequent fades-away which, in my opinion, manifest a little hastiness by the director, I found the picture full of hope. Sometimes we forget the complexity of the human psyche. A man can endure at times ecstatic bliss and at others dreadful despair. I guess it's the price to pay for being extremely sensitive. Or just a little crazy.

I caught this movie last night on TMC. It premiered soon after I was diagnosed with clinical depression in 93 and even though I was glad to finally have a name to my own madness, I was not ready to see it at that point. Many told me about it though and finally, I saw it. It was very, very good. Gere did an exceptional job at portraying the classic Bipolar I individual. (My depression is 95% lows and have had only one or two manic episodes in my life and am well controlled and on meds). The highs are fun but it is pure payback with the lows. Of course, with this being a movie, The Dr. falls for Mr Jones and in the real world, that would lead to termination on her part. In the case of movies though, anything goes and Richard Gere would be hard not to fall for, LOL. Everyone did an exceptional job and it was an exceptional movie. Kudos to all!

30 January 2013. Richard Gere offers up a rather penetrating performance of manic-depression and the highs and lows of such a condition. Unlike 28 Days (2000) or Girl Interrupted (1999) there seems to be an imbalance in presentation of the movie itself and its highs and lows in a way that unfortunately distorts the presentation of mental illness. Lena Olin's character as Dr. Bowen, a psychiatrist, M.D. doesn't necessarily offer up sufficient character development to justify the movie's ultimate plot and dynamic interplay with Richard Gere's character as Mr. Jones, unlike perhaps a student intern that would have required much less back story and more consistent with the storyline. The climax of the movie is more of an American romantic drama instead of the more genuine drama that most of the movie itself held onto its integrity. The ending unlike the more Helen (2009) which might be considered stronger in its overall tone and theme, nevertheless is weaker in its depiction of the experiences found with such chemical imbalances.

This was Mike Figgis' first film after the rather wonderful and haunting "Liebestraum" and compared to that it's a disappointment.

As others have commented, Gere's acting is magnificent. I have a good friend who is manic depressive and Gere nails the condition absolutely. As others have also commented, this performance is straightjacketed into a contrived Hollywood vehicle with a laughably pat romantic ending. I was unsurprised to discover that the film was taken away from Figgis by the studio, redited, rescored and partially reshot.

A couple of points: of course Lena Olin's character behaves unprofessionally, that's made quite clear in the movie, so pointing it out as a flaw seems a little wide of the mark. What we in fact have is a slightly more subtle than usual rendition of the "psychiatrist is as nutty as the patient" trope - she is shown earlier in the movie to be extremely vulnerable and perhaps irrational after a failed relationship. Meanwhile Gere is extremely charismatic, as manic personalities can be, she is drawn to him out of her own depressed state and the time-honoured Freudian concept of transference does the rest. In addition the choice she makes addresses the notion introduced by Gere's character in the movie - how much is she prepared to give up?

There are also serious questions about "madness" touched on in the film - where does individual personality end and illness begin? To what extent is insanity a logical response to an intolerable situation? Perhaps these were originally to be explored in a little more depth.

I suppose this "accountant's cut" didn't do well enough at the box office for there to be much chance of a director's cut and that's a shame. It seems there is a much better film somewhere in here screaming to be let out....