Nerve

A shy young man in Los Angeles agrees to be the subject of a grad student's dissertation paper.

"Nerve" (2011) is an indie written & directed by one man, costing only $27,500, which is surprising given the professionalism of the proceedings. The male protagonist, played by Tyler Langdon, comes across as a combination of Emilio Estevez and Chris Evans. Meanwhile winsome Laura Alexandra Ramos plays the raven-haired, dark-eyed female protagonist and is, for me, the main highlight.

It's quirky and spiced with subtly amusing bits. The story could've gone over-the-edge with a thrill or two, but the writer/director decided to keep the happenings mundane with the (presumed) perception that less is more. There are enough understated insights to make it worth a second viewing down the line.

It runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.

GRADE: B-

J.R. Sawyers' Nerve is a story about a socially phobic man who has to struggle to overcome his fears. Made on a shoe string budget the relatively unknown actors Tyler Langdon and Laura Alexandra Ramos turn in decent performances, helped by the witty dialog. Yet, I feel if this was made for bigger bucks, it may have turned into something greater. As it is, it's an interesting little indie film with a rather realistic take on mental illness and the way society views people afflicted with it. Good ideas but shaky execution. At times, the acting seems a little unconvincing and forced and I can't help but feel as if it's poking more fun at mental illness and social anxiety in a much more nasty way then it really intends. 4 out of 10 stars

so there's a dude with serious anxiety problems. he keeps to himself at his job, in his personal life and even at home. Lucky for him, his female coworker wants to help him as long as he helps her as the subject of her psych paper. this is just the first 20 minutes. The rest of the film is about what happens after his mind unravels and the interesting predicaments he gets himself into. Hijinks ensue.

this film flies. it never gets too bogged down in any one area and it seems to explore a multitude of different aspects of his life, and in a entertaining way. so if you're looking for requiem for a dream. this isn't it. this is more like crazy stupid love, except imagine if Steve Carrel had social anxiety disorder.. not to mention the actor kinda looks like Steve Carrel

I had to write this review cause a few people I know who've seen the film are having issues concerning how the disorder is portrayed. This is a fictional story about one person dealing with his anxiety, social anxiety included. Although it doesn't pretend to be THE movie about social anxiety, I do think that most of the facts presented the film are true about the condition. My friend has anxiety issues and totally gets why the character makes some of the decisions he does. When he starts the treatment for SAD and then ends up 'seemingly' helped later on, I understood that months had past. And we learn quite quickly that he still has his problems. In fact, the whole movie seems to be about what NOT to do as a psychologist, which is why she's only a STUDENT. I definitely recommend this film! I only wish they had a bigger budget!

Surprisingly engaging film about a guy who deals with his anxiety problems and the result of that. He becomes the subject to a girl's dissertation about social anxiety and in the process falls in love with her. We also see how her treatment and experiments affect his psychology. And it's all very entertaining. Sometimes funny.

As far as the acting goes, I'm not familiar with most of the cast. Though I know Tyler Langdon will soon be in Burt Wonderstone. They all did a great job and even the supporting cast like the homeless people all get plenty of moments to shine. The pace is fast and the movie is under 90 minutes, so the film feels nicely lean which is very unusual for an indie.