Manic (2001)

Lyle Jensen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has a few issues with anger management. Most of the time, he's in complete control, but one day, during a baseball game, he loses it and almost kills someone. Lyle's not quite eighteen yet, so he's sent to a psychiatric hospital, where he learns that compared to others, his problems are nothing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the single most underrated and under appreciated actor in all of Hollywood. I've seen a lot of his films, some are great and some are awful, but the fact remains that he always gives a strong performance and makes even the worst movie that much better. Manic was a rare inside look at a youth psychiatric facility, but there wasn't much of a story behind it. Of course we meet Lyle and the other patients, finding out why they're there, but there really isn't a point to it. The quality of the film further decreases with the way it was filmed, as every scene features constant movement from numerous angles. Similar to these camcorder films, I honestly found it pretty distracting, not to mention nauseating. The best part of Manic though is clearly the performances. This was released in 2001, before any of the stars were household names, however after seeing the film, it's easy to see why they all became popular. Don Cheadle is another actor that doesn't get the recognition he deserves, playing the Doctor in Manic, he is the glue that brings everyone together. Even with JGL's performance, this film is a mess of nonsense without Don Cheadle. Manic is somewhat disturbing and filmed in a way that makes it hard to watch, but the performances are just about as good as it gets and make this film worth seeing.

Violently prone 17-year-old Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Lyle Jensen) is finally sent to a juvenile psych ward. He gets in bloody fights, takes drugs, cuts himself, and even burns his arms with cigarettes. After an opening sedation wears off, Mr. Gordon-Levitt meets long-haired "almost 13" roommate Cody Lightning (as Kenny). Others are introduced at a group therapy session held by kindly staff psychologist Don Cheadle (as David Monroe). Second-billed Michael Bacall (as Chad) is working on anger management and reading "The Myth of Sisyphus". Gordon-Levitt's obvious romantic interest, beautiful Zooey Deschanel (as Tracy), is working on self-esteem. Blond bully Elden Henson (as Mike) and Gothic Sara Rivas (as Sara) have good supporting roles. Director Jordan Melamed might have had an excellent drama if it weren't for the wobbly camera, often used to simulate a low-budget documentary; it's self-conscious, dizzying and distracting.***** Manic (1/27/01) Jordan Melamed ~ Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Bacall, Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel

What I like about this film is that it doesn't try to be overly optimistic in order to make you believe that everyone turns out alright. This particular formula of a bunch of teenagers in a psychiatric ward may have been used many times before in other films, but this one leaves me with the greatest impression. Yes, everyone has difficult problems to get through in their lives, but it's how certain people deal with them that makes them end up in situations like this. So many things discussed by the group and even the counselor ring true.It's no surprise that extras were actual young people who've been in psychiatric care sometime in their lives. Even so, Gordon-Levitt does a phenomenal job of being someone who struggles deeply with his emotions and his past.

"Manic" follows teenager Lyle (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) as he is sent into therapy to work on his serious anger management problem, having nearly killed a boy at his school with a baseball bat. The film follows his relationships within the small group, comprising of teenagers suffering mostly from depression or similar anger issues.Similar to "thirteen" released a few years after this film, "Manic" was co-written by one of the teenagers (Michael Bacall) in the film (although presumably not from his own direct experiences) and this does give the script an authentic ring in terms of dialogue, subjects of discussion and a feel for contemporary American adolescence. Several genuine patients of similar therapy institutions play small roles here and the moments when they tell, presumably true stories, do lend an authentic feel. Unfortunately, the film never quite takes off dramatically. It's too stuck in 'realism' to turn into an outright escape narrative such as "One Flew..." or "Girl, interrupted". Lyle makes plans to escape and dreams of travelling to Europe but it never forms a central plot to the film. Similarly a tentative romance with a girl in the group, Tracey (the marvellous Zooey Deschanel) is downplayed. There are strong sub-plots, such as an ongoing feud with gangster wannabee Michael (a very good Elden Henson) but the film doesn't address the fundamental issues in these kids lives preferring to just address the direct group dymanics rather than digging deeper. In fact the most distressing story is of Kenny, Lyle's quiet room-mate, who it turns out was abused by his apparently normal, caring father. Holding the film together is a fantastic Don Cheadle, as Dr Monroe, the compassionate yet strict group leader. Cheadle manages to give a layered performance that shows an obvious connection to the kids in his care, professional skill at helping them, a mild touch of cynicism as to the extent people really can change and hints of battling problems of his own.It's an understandable decision not to over-dramatise events but by playing straight the film risks drifting into banality. The decision not to investigate in more depth the way the US, and Western world, relies on medication to control such teenagers is also a missed opportunity. The intrusive, mostly close-up DV filming does give that documentary feel to some extent, otherwise it's a little excessively jittery and some may find it distracting from the story and characters, rather than adding an emotional subjectivity.I would give this film a lower score but the performances by the majority of the cast are first class and there are some very emotional moments and scenarios. Gordon Levitt seems to be favouring these kind of messed up teenager roles and his performance is convincing. Zooey Descchanel yet again proves herself the best young actress around in a demanding role and as mentioned, Don Cheadle near steals the film and provides a much needed strong central foundation in an otherwise dramatically and thematically uncertain script.