NUMB (2007) DVD

There are movies that, in time, garner a cult following, for reasons most people can't fathom, or don't care too. This is likely to happen with Harris Goldberg's "Numb." The scant reviews emerging from the Tribeca Film Festival thus far have pointed out that the script is pretty much autobiographical, based on Harris Goldberg's own experience with something called Depersonalization, triggered by pot. Sounds like a pretty extreme and rare reaction to weed, and a pretty weak premise on which to base an entire movie, right? No. Just the opposite. Depersonalization Disorder is something quite real, and a condition that, incredibly, affects more people than either schizophrenia or bi-polar disorders. Yet few people, even relatively few health professionals have ever heard of it. It can be triggered by various forms of stress or trauma, as well as things like LSD and marijuana. The confusion, frustration and inability to deal with "normal" life that often marks DPD is portrayed beautifully by Matthew Perry, whose eyes, at times reveal the void left behind by a soul that has simply disappeared. Lack of affect, "numbness" is just one of many symptoms of depersonalization, but it is likely the one most movie viewers can relate to, and perhaps, the simplest to portray. In this sense, Harris Goldberg has wisely avoided extensive diving into the fearfully negative and hopeless waters of DPD. Instead, he gives us important glimpses into the overall angst of the condition as well as the sufferer's desperate efforts to resume a "normal" life. And he manages to do this within a comedic context. DPD is NOT depression, you see, nor is it humorless. People with the condition are often highly intelligent, and more often than not, they can exhibit extreme insight and a biting wit, simply because their ego, or lack thereof, never stands in the way.Ultimately, this film marks the very first mention of Depersonalization Disorder on the big screen. It is the first depiction of someone who has it. On top of it, Goldberg has generously shown Perry reading the only authoritative book on the condition "Feeling Unreal" right in the middle of the film. Creating this film, which is funny and highly entertaining by any standard, marks a singular act of courage on the part of the writer/director. According to Hollywood: Everyone knows that pot is always harmless, right? Wrong. According to the medical profession: Depersonalization is just a symptom of some other condition, right. Wrong again. Goldberg has, if nothing else, boldly stated these truths by tickling the funny bone rather than the temporal lobe. Literally millions of people already know these truths, and therein lies the film's audience, for a long long time.

Some ambitious headshrinker has come up with a new term for the condition formerly known as anomie, so naturally there's been a film made on the subject. That's been standard practice since the U.S. Army coined the phrase "battle fatigue" during World War II for the condition that was originally termed "soldier's heart" in the Civil War, shell shock" during World War I and is presently referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder. Newer and scarier terms for mental abnormalities are always profitable for the unhappiness curanderos, especially when they turn up on the big screen. If a viewer of "Numb," thinks he may be suffering from depersonalization, there are several blatant references to where and how he can start treatment in the movie, one of which is a lingering shot of a book cover on the topic with the title and author's name prominently displayed. That being said however, "Numb" is a first-rate comedy-drama which is fast-moving, literate, well-directed, marvelously cast, expertly edited and highly entertaining. It never succumbs to the temptations of becoming clinical, drearily introspective or overly self-indulgent. Matthew Perry shines in his dramatic moments as well as his comedic segues, Kevin Pollak's performance is Oscar quality as always, Lynn Collins is a breath of fresh air who has the makings of a major motion picture star and writer-turned-director Harris Goldberg really knows his stuff. I hope we see a lot more of all their work in the future.

I love Matthew Perry and was intrigued by the storyline. It was not the sort of ‘light’/funny story as I hoped. There was a lot of heart in it though.

NUMBI have been a fan of Matthew Perry since I had first seen the show Friends years ago, I have always been a fan of that Chandler/David Spade type A-Hole humor. So I have followed him since the show has ended, I mean come on he did a movie with the great Bruce Campbell. I have bought almost all the films he has been in, and I will eventually buy them all. This is one of his newer films and I have to say hat it could be one of his best performances ever, and very dramatic role that some may not have expected of him.Hudson Milbank [Perry] has Depersonalization Disorder and he really believes that he is going crazy, if fact things don't feel or seem real to him. So he sets out on a course to find out how he can fix this problem that he believes was caused by smoking weed. In the midst of going to psychiatrist after psychiatrist he meets a girl that can actually make him feel real. Of course all his doctors are as crazy as him, in fact one is infatuated with him, and she is all over him. The man has to take a long personal journey that may or may not fix him, in fact that is what I like most about this film. By the end of it he is getting better but he is not quite fixed, I love when films end like that. Don't get me wrong this is not a fully drama type film, there is a lot of dark humor through out the film.Matthew Perry who also served as an Executive Producer did a great job with his role, he plays the role very held back and dry and that is just what the character needed. He played the role exactly like the director wanted from what I gather from special features, he did a great job. Kevin Pollak as usual does a great job as Perry's best friend and writing partner, he delivers a wonderful performance. Lynn Collins does a great job as the girl Perry's character is in love with, she is just as crazy as Hudson. But I have to say that my favorite from the supporting roles was Mary Steenburgen as the crazy doctor that he goes to see is great. She played the role so well that I actually believed her in that role, she flipped so quick it was great.Writer/director Harris Goldberg did an excellent job that from listening to the commentary he wrote the entire thing based off his life. He had this disorder and the same problems with his new found girl and doctors, and you can tell he put his heart into this. He is the guy that wrote both Deuce Bigalow films and With Out a Paddle so I can tell that this was his baby as far as all his films go. I think that this is a really good movie that warrants a purchase in my mind, everybody involved did a great job.If you are wanting to see a really good some what weird but some what funny movie this is the one for you. This is a great dramatic turn for Perry and I hope that he continues to switch between dramatic and comedy roles like this.