Intervention (V) (2007) User Reviews

Awfully Boring and Absurd

[claudio_carvalho · 2/10 · 13 February 2010]

The addicted porno actor and producer Mark (Rupert Graves) is brought against his will from London to the rehab clinic Vista Clara run by the psychologists Bill (Colm Feore) and his wife Kelly (Andy MacDowell). Mark is addicted in drugs, booze and sex, and joins a few other junkies; when the treatment requires the presence of their families, the clinic invites Mark's wife Jane (Jennifer Tilly) while Mark sends a private invitation to his girlfriend Pamela (Donna D'Errico). The triangle of lovers brings friction between the women while Bill and Kelly have also problems in their relationship. After a fire, the truth about love and commitment is disclosed in Vista Clara.

"Intervention" is an awfully boring film that wastes the talented performances of a brilliant cast with an absurd screenplay. The premise that an adult man can be forced to travel from London to another country, be interned in a rehabilitation clinic and face his wife is so ridiculous that it is impressive that there are viewers that enjoyed this flick. I have no basis in psychological treatment to analyze the treatment they are submitted that also seems to be absurd for a layman like me. The fire situation and the conclusion are also pathetic. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "Fora de Controle" ("Out of Control")

If This Is Therapy I Think I'll Pass!

[sddavis63 · 3/10 · 29 March 2010]

Essentially, what we have here is almost two hours of ridiculous psycho- babble, or - when the participants are actually doing something as opposed to just talking - psycho-clowning. It certainly doesn't make for a very good advertisement for psycho-therapy. To be blunt, I'm not even sure exactly how this got started. Mark somehow gets convinced to attend an "intervention" which leads to him being checked into some sort of rehab clinic along with a bunch of others. Then, when the story picks up, it's family encounter day or some such thing, where everyone gets to invite one member of their family to work with - except that Mark invites both his ex-wife and his girlfriend. Not much worked here. The therapists (played by Andie McDowell and Colm Feore) struck me as being as much in need of therapy as anyone else involved with this. A shame, really, because both McDowell and Feore are pretty good actors, but they were wasted in these ridiculous roles. There's a certain degree of guilty, voyeuristic pleasure as we watch these people try to sort out their problems and lash out at each other while doing so. What there's not is any sense that you're watching a well put together movie or a well developed story. Eventually, the whole thing ends rather abruptly after a fire strikes the rehab facility and there's a predictable but quite unrealistic reconciliation that takes place as a result. To be honest, it seemed more like a 60's-70's group encounter session more than an "intervention."

Phenomenal, realistic improv film...

[jenius1880 · 9/10 · 24 February 2008]

Mark (Rupert Graves) is addicted to everything. Booze...yes, please. Drugs...absolutely. Sex...yes, please, twice. His estranged wife Jane (Jennifer Tilly) follows him to London to stage an intervention with the help of married shrinks (Colm Feore and Andi McDowell). Mark is whisked away to Vista Clara, a spiritual drug rehabilitation retreat, in the American southwest. The film picks up during the facility's family week, when both Jane and Mark's new plastic girl-toy, Pamela, show up to participate.

The performances are A-mazing...especially Tilly, who, once again, proves what Hollywood has so egregiously ignored for twenty years--she's a really, REALLY great actress and not the one-note bimbette mainstream studios repeatedly cast her as. Graves is fantastic as the seemingly remorseless Mark. Colm Feore is, as usual, a very consistent, grounded performer. And, the big shocker for me, Andi McDowell is actually quite good, too.

There are some problems, though. The other "patients" are a bit one-dimensional, and two of them (Sara and Harry) are never really "fleshed out" enough for us to care about them. The Australian(?) duo's relationship had a lot of potential--very funny, quirky--but that's only explored halfway as well. All in all, most of the time, I found myself just wanting the film to steer back to the Mark-Jane relationship.

Most of the positive credit for this film goes to the actors who improvised the whole thing, and the cinematographer who took advantage of the beautiful winter desert backdrop. Sometimes, however, it seems that director Mary McGuckian goes a bit over the top to prove the film's "indie-ness"...note the last five minutes of camera spin-shots around the principal characters.

Watch this film for Jennifer Tilly. It'll have you cursing Hollywood for turning her into a poker pro.

strange

[Vincentiu · 16 October 2014]

a strange movie. for the story without roots or sense. for the desire to say profound things using, in not inspired manner, stereotypes. but the great sin is the cast. the waste of time of viewer is small front to presence of real good actors in a chaotic film. and that is the awful part because it represents the use of cheep solution for few crumbs of success. the idea could be not bad but the script is out of reason. the pieces from Bergman , the psychology as ingredient in huge dose, the talks without basic axis, the images in waves - skin without body are pillars of the film. and that is all. but, I hope, Rupert Graves or Andie Mc Dowell are too different by the characters universe.