This review may contain spoilers!!! I got tickets to the 30th April showing of Numb at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. Like most people, I was a huge fan of Friends, but apart from that, I really had no interest in watching anything Matthew Perry had previously starred in. After seeing this movie, my opinion has changed! The movie is about a young screenwriter named Hudson, who suffers from depersonalization disorder, a type of depression that he struggles with for the entire movie, while trying to win over the woman of his dreams, Sara (played by the beautiful Lynn Collins) What I liked about this story was that it had a very autobiographical feel to it; I later learned that it was in fact written about Harris Goldberg's (Numb's writer and director) struggle with the illness.
Plummeting further and further into a depression that neither his friends or family were able to comprehend, Hudson is so distraught that he can't handle watching anything on television more demanding than the Golf Channel. Unable to work or uphold a relationship, his only release is an increasingly worrying (pen) shoplifting habit.
Hudson's attempt at getting help using therapy are less than successful, with one shrink prescribing an ever-changing series of medications that do little more than put him into a comatose state. He does however make some progress with another doctor, but she suddenly becomes passionately infatuated with him (and he realizes that she may in fact be crazier than he is) Things start to change for Hudson when he meets the gorgeous Sara, whose relaxed ways and big-hearted spirit help bring him out of his shell. But even then his relationship becomes threatened by his powerlessness to take on life's risks.
I honestly do not want to spoil the story, as it's definitely a movie I would recommend to people! All I want to say is how incredible this cast worked together. Harris mentioned that Matthew was not his first choice for the movie, but that soon changed after they met to discuss the script, and I can honestly say, I cannot see another actor playing this character as well as he did. In my opinion, Kevin Pollack was also another perfect choice; he played Hudson's constantly eating writing partner.
I went in to the movie theater with little to no expectations, and I came out with some very different opinions. After seeing this movie, I'd gladly watch Matthew in his new NBC show Studio 60, as I have now realized he really is more than Chandler Bing! Lets hope we see this in movie theaters real soon!!
Plummeting further and further into a depression that neither his friends or family were able to comprehend, Hudson is so distraught that he can't handle watching anything on television more demanding than the Golf Channel. Unable to work or uphold a relationship, his only release is an increasingly worrying (pen) shoplifting habit.
Hudson's attempt at getting help using therapy are less than successful, with one shrink prescribing an ever-changing series of medications that do little more than put him into a comatose state. He does however make some progress with another doctor, but she suddenly becomes passionately infatuated with him (and he realizes that she may in fact be crazier than he is) Things start to change for Hudson when he meets the gorgeous Sara, whose relaxed ways and big-hearted spirit help bring him out of his shell. But even then his relationship becomes threatened by his powerlessness to take on life's risks.
I honestly do not want to spoil the story, as it's definitely a movie I would recommend to people! All I want to say is how incredible this cast worked together. Harris mentioned that Matthew was not his first choice for the movie, but that soon changed after they met to discuss the script, and I can honestly say, I cannot see another actor playing this character as well as he did. In my opinion, Kevin Pollack was also another perfect choice; he played Hudson's constantly eating writing partner.
I went in to the movie theater with little to no expectations, and I came out with some very different opinions. After seeing this movie, I'd gladly watch Matthew in his new NBC show Studio 60, as I have now realized he really is more than Chandler Bing! Lets hope we see this in movie theaters real soon!!