juneebuggy I think the best thing about this movie is the fact that Mathew Perry finally leaves his 'Friends' character behind and does some real acting. He is a mess here and gives a pretty astounding performance as a chronically depressed screenwriter desperately trying to cure his condition after he finds the love of his life. 'Hudson' suffers from depersonalization disorder and tries a host of different therapists (Mary Steenburgen) and drugs in his quest to "feel" something other than anxiety.Its an okay movie with a few good or funny moments i.e. ("Chandler" dropping f-bombs and smoking a giant bong.) I enjoyed Lynn Collins as his girlfriend and they appeared to have some genuine chemistry together. There are hints of something darker and deeper in flashbacks to his childhood and his mother. 02.03.14

rooprect For some reason I ended up watching 3 movies about mental disorder this week. The first was "Helen" starring Ashley Judd which was very powerful but thoroughly depressing. The second was "The Bridge", a documentary showing people jumping to their deaths off the Golden Gate Bridge. Not as morbid as it sounds, but still heavy stuff. And the third was "Numb" which was totally refreshing.Here we get Matthew Perry's unique brand of humour (charmingly cynical) but much more laid back than you'd expect from his Chandler role on Friends. Here he plays the part of a person who is mature & basically stable yet suddenly hit with an acute case of insanity. In that respect, there's almost a childlike quality to him as he seeks to discover what went wrong. I think that's what makes this so fun to watch, even though the prospect of losing one's mind is inherently depressing.This is no madcap comedy with witty zingers & one-liners. It's more of a situational-laugh thing. Some of the gags are really subtle, like jokes set up without any punchline (which you must infer). A lot of the gags are based on crazy awkward situations. For example, a psychiatrist starts to lose it in a restaurant, talking in a controlled whisper one minute and then yelling at the busboy to "F OFF!" the next minute for filling her water glass. Lol, no punchline required.I think this film found the perfect balance between comedy and drama. Too much comedy, and it mocks the subject. Not enough comedy and it gets depressing. "Numb" got it just right. It has both comedy as well as some insightful, dramatic moments.If you are among the privileged few who have... shall we say... unusual brains (interpretation: total nutcase), or if you know someone who fits the description, you should watch this movie. It'll give you a greater appreciation for the people who have psychological problems as well as those who love them. And it'll do so by giving you some laughs and a smile on your face.

spellydog I recently viewed, "Numb" at the Palm Springs Film Festival. It was by far the best film there. Harris Goldberg's script and direction are seamless in this film. The story was laid out on film beautifully. Numb is extremely interesting and funny. If you like, Garden State, you will love this film. I was in Palm Springs representing another film in the film festival. (I'm a Composer) I never knew that Matthew Perry was that good of an actor. I always thought he was funny in friends, clever reaction more than serious acting. Well in "Numb" he really shows his range. Matthew Perry was spectacular in his role as Hudson the mentally de- personalized professional script writer. His love interest, I hate to say I don't recall her name, but she sucked up the screen and I fell in love with her instantly. When you work in this business you see a bunch of sub par films. So, when you see a film like, "Numb," your faith in film making is restored. Thank you Harris Goldberg and cast.

contact-1219 i just saw this film at the Austin film festival. I had no idea what to expect and i was delighted with the results. Mathew Perry delivers a fantastic understated performance. I really wasn't a fan of his and when I heard he was in it, truthfully i wanted to see it less. But i've changes my tune completely, l'm a definite fan now, he sunk his teeth into this role and really let go of his usual bag of comedic tricks. The writer/director knows what he is doing. He injected just enough, just just enough comedy into the movie to make the disturbing and hard to handle subject matter palatable. I really found the movie a delight and the the whole theatre was laughing in agreement with me. Go see it, its really something!