User Reviews

Whoever thought of bringing Christopher Durang and Robert Altman together has never mixed oil with water. Never have two artists been more obviously mismatched. Altman creates dark little moody set pieces, and moves at his own leisurely (and idiosyncratic) pace; Durang's fast little funny script practically begs for a crackling speed-thru, and this movie goes on forever. Still, if you're not familiar with Durang or if you can watch this without any preconceived notions, there are some very funny moments, and Christopher Guest, as always, is priceless.

Maybe Robert Altman needed the change of pace, or maybe it was just because he was in his momentary slump before hitting his stride again with Tanner 88 and Vincent & Theo, but Beyond Therapy is a bewildering effort of farcical cinema. He takes a play by Christopher Durang and 'Altman-izes' it, I suppose. There's the over-lapping dialog, the neurotic personalities, the quirky-cum-insane humor, and the characters that float in and out of scenes like they're on a mixture of whimsy and mescaline. He also gives some good actors some things to do and funny things to say - sometimes too self-conscious to be funny at all, and sometimes so bizarre that it becomes amusing just to see how far it will go. I couldn't say I didn't enjoy watching it all the time, but it would also be unfair to say it's a complete failure. It's just a damn odd duck of a movie.

It concerns patients and therapists, the patients including blind-daters Bruce and Prudence (Goldblum and Haggerty), and their own problems with one another- Bruce is bi-sexual, or bi-curious, or just adventurous, and Prudence is frigid and a little on edge, all the time- and their therapists and people they know. There's not a whole lot of variety in how the scenes play out: there's arguments, there's talking, there's bedroom farce, behavior tics, and a story resolution that kind of folds back into itself just when it looks to get interesting. Some of the dialog, whether by Durang or Altman or both, can be funny at times, or just with the way a character will react to something (the premature ejaculation material from one of the therapists is funny - at least at first until the joke becomes tired), and some of it just... stinks.

The actors do try, or at least they try to. It's hard not to like Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Guest, and in some of the scenes it's equally fun and painful to see them in this material. Glenda Jackson fares better, or just has her own tune to play, when playing the therapist who hates gays and goes through a letter ala dictionary-style to find a word to say. But some of the acting is just weird, and not in a good way. Julie Haggerty doesn't deliver anything to make the movie entertaining (frankly I never knew she did anything outside of Airplane! and Midnight Summer's Sex Comedy, and now I remember why), and what must have been some tighter scenes of sex-farce or screwball comedy on stage have been dissected by Altman, and not successfully. Some of the director's touches kind of work, though barely, like the constant cutaways to a bald dude in the restaurant (Michael Berryman's brother, no?) and the slow-motion shoot-out climax becomes impressive just to see how long Altman can maintain it.

But a lot of this is just ridiculous and stupid and insipid as psycho-sex comedy. Woody Allen could have fared better- or perhaps has fared better- with similar material, and would have, in fact, told a better story. Altman is so fascinated by his warped characters that it's all that's there, warped characters. And if we can't care about any of them, ultimately, even in the scope of crazy satire, why care at all?

"Beyond Therapy", much like Brian De Palma's "Bonfire Of The Vanities" which I also watched recently, was a huge critical and commercial flop by a top-rank American director, a few years before their careers took an upward turn. And also like "Bonfire", it is not a film without interest. It is an extremely eccentric "romantic comedy": from the first frame to the last, there is not one "normal" character or scene in the movie. It does not succeed (the slow-motion shootout parody sequence misses badly), but it's certainly an original (I liked the occasional random sound effects of car crashes somewhere in the background), and Julie "Airplane" Hagerty still has her special brand of kooky charm. **1/2 out of 4.

I like Altman 's movies "the player""Short cuts " "Gosford park" , etc. But I watched this movie in his premiere in Spain ages ago and it was a comedy( so the promotion said) , so the movie poster said and a comedy for intelligent people bla bla bla This movie is not funny at all , the dialog have no spark , you don't care about the characters at all and I remember I did not laugh in all the movie . If you ever go to a comedy and did not laugh at all you will understand what I'm talking about. It's like torture . Altman is an amazing director, he is capable of making great movies like "The Player " or incredible flops like this one .

I agree with the other posters. I directed the Australian premiere of this play back in 1983, and just LOVED it and all of Christopher Durang's works (I also directed 'Dentity Crisis). So when I saw that one of my favourite directors of all time, Robert Altman, was making the film version, AND it had people like Glenda Jackson, Julie Hagerty, Tom Conti etc in it, I was agog with anticipation. It was probably my biggest disappointment in the cinema.

What is it about Altman that he seems to make a real turkey about once or twice a decade, in between all the wonderful films he makes?

What I can't understand is how Christopher Durang allowed his name to be credited as screenplay writer, when it's a travesty of his play. Especially what was done to the two psychiatrist characters..

And why set such a New York story in Paris/

And why ... and why .... oh forget it.

What the Hell was that? I'm normally an Altman defender in all cases - I'm a fan of stuff like That Cold Day in the Park, Quintet and Pret-a-Porter - and I've never seen him as a hit-or-miss director who has directed half masterpieces and half flops, as his reputation tends to go. But this is truly a disaster! It's based on a stage play by Christopher Durang, who also adapted this screenplay with Altman. I just can't imagine anyone sitting in the audience watching this garbage thinking, "Oh, man, that would make a great movie!" unless the play was significantly different on stage. I kind of doubt it, though. It has such a peculiar energy, and it's not much like anything else Altman made. It feels like something pretentious people might have enjoyed on stage, more likely in the 60s than in the 80s, because it's just so odd. I'm usually a fan of odd, but this one almost made me violently angry at times. Jeff Goldblum stars as a bisexual man living with his boyfriend (Christopher Guest), but trying to branch out into women. He meets Julie Hagerty on a blind date, and they immediately hate each other. After therapy sessions and a second blind date (they both change their ads slightly but end up together again), they hit it off, much to Guest's chagrin. Every character in the movie is constantly going to their therapist (the two therapist characters are played by Glenda Jackson and Tom Conti). No one acts like a human being in this film, just weird simulacra making faces at each other. There's hardly a laugh in it, and the actors universally embarrass themselves. Better off completely forgotten.

I've been having my own little Altman revival over the past months, watching all of his available movies in chronological order, both his masterpieces and his duds. I'm up to 1987, and I think I may have finally found it -- that elusive thing known as Robert Altman's absolutely worst film.

If you know about Altman, you know that all of his movies were an experiment to a greater or lesser extent and that some of them misfired dismally. In re-watching them with a fresh eye, I've found that none (not even some really bad ones, like "A Wedding", "Quintet", or "Popeye") misfired quite as egregiously as "Beyond Therapy". A farcical romp lampooning modern-day (for the time) romance, sexual preferences, neurotics and the analysts who are crazier than they are, "Beyond Therapy" has nothing to recommend it. The two leads, Jeff Goldblum and Julie Hagerty, make their characters instantly unlikable and never recover. Tom Conti and Glenda Jackson are probably the best members of the cast, as two whacked out therapists, but the parts they're given to play feel random and arbitrary. Christopher Guest basically plays the petulant gay man he would reprise so classically ten years later in "Waiting for Guffman".

I don't know how Christopher Durang's stage play would read in a different context. It seems paper thin judging by this version, but knowing Altman, I have a feeling he dealt with the source material liberally, and who knows how much of Durang's original play remains. This film certainly has Altman's footprints all over it, and in this case that's not a good thing.

Grade: F

I gave Altman's Prairie Home Companion my first 10, and I have watched MASH and Gosford Park many times, but this film is an embarrassment. The dialog is boring. It feels like ad lib filler. There are a few clever scenes, but for the most part you keep waiting for something to happen that never does.

It gets its cheap laughs from stereotype gay characters.

The colour reminded me of home movies of the 1950s. The sound was muddy.

I turned off the video several times watching it out of boredom, and returned later, to give it another chance. After all, this IS Altman, Glenda Jackson and Jeff Goldblum.

Not only is Christopher Durang's delicious comedy totally ruined on film, the sound quality in many scenes is so bad, it is a painful strain on the ears of the viewers. Often Julie Hagerty's soft voice is completely drowned out by traffic and other background noises. Somebody, please remake this one!

Christopher Durang's off-Broadway play BEYOND THERAPY was a triumph, and Durang himself worked with director Robert Altman to bring it to the screen. The result is a truly remarkable film--beautifully played by a first-rate cast, quick paced, provocative, romantic, and very, very funny--that is frequently attacked for not being a line-for-line translation of the stage original.

Unlike some Altman films, BEYOND THERAPY actually offers storyline. When Prudence and Bruce (Julie Hagerty and Jeff Goldblum) meet for a blind date the result is disastrous--not surprising, when Bruce casually notes that he is bisexual and living with lover Bob (Christopher Guest.) Prudence and Bruce rush back to their therapists (Tom Conti and Glenda Jackson, respectively) for advice... but their therapists are nuttier than they are, and soon they, Bob, Bob's mother Zizi (Genevieve Page), and the entire waitstaff of a French restaurant are dragged into the fray.

Durang's script adaptation and Altman's wall-of-sound take on it is wickedly funny, and so many memorable lines ("My mother is NOT a transvestite!") bounce through the film that the effect is absolutely dizzying; the sound design is also memorable for the constant car crashes and china shattering that occurs in the background, a metaphor for collision of characters happening before our eyes. The entire cast is absolutely first rate (Hagerty, Goldblum, and Guest have never been better), and Altman guides them with a very sure hand.

Altman's vision always divides viewers: you either like his films or you do not. Although BEYOND THERAPY offers a relatively small cast in a cohesive story, it is actually one of Altman's most visually and aurally kaleidoscopic films, and it is unlikely to convert those who find his style confusing and frustrating. But that said, this is a must-have film for any Altman fan, a truly enjoyable romantic comedy with a razor sharp script and a joyous style. Strongly, strongly recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Comedy is hard. BEYOND THERAPY is, arguably, Christopher Durang's best play and Robert Altman's worst film. The casting of the film is not terrible -- on paper. But almost every other aspect of the film -- the direction, the look, the sound -- is wrong-headed, -hearted, and every other relevant organ-ed. Still, going on the principle that an artist should be judged by his best work, not his worst, enough about Altman. Even Homer nodded and I don't mean Homer Simpson, but, come to think of it --. Durang's comedy remains incisive and hilarious. From the perspective of 2004 it seems so embedded in its era that it effortlessly transcends its time -- like Restoration Comedy on a good night. This is nigh-on-impossible to see in the film, but it is happily evident in an audio recording made in 2002, featuring a splendid cast of gen-u-ine comic actors, headed by Catherine O'Hara, David Hyde Pierce, Kate MacGregor, and Richard Kind. It's "pure '80s." It's the "me decade" pressed down and flowing over. The peculiar idiocies of idiotic therapists are skewered on Durang's pen as are personal ads, grotesque drama (Eck! Eck! EQUUS!), let-it-all-hang-out personal interaction, and wildly "inappropriate" therapist/patient relationships. It is laugh-out-loud wonderful on CD and may serve to comfort the Durang and Altman fans who are justifiably horrified at the film.

A complete flop with no redeeming points. It may have made a good play, it could even make a good satirical novel, but this effort wasted any good material that may have been there. I knew that the talent in the movie were capable, and I have seen the idea executed with some success before, so I was expecting the movie to 'come together' at some point. It never did. A brief monologue by Goldblums character near the very end was interesting, as it seemed to convey the 'point' (or intention) of the movie, for those that missed it in the preceding hour and more of film. The likely fail was in the directing I felt. Miss this one, unless you are a big fan of one of the players and a bit of a completest.

Suffice it to say, Altman totally botches Chris Durang's first stage to screen transfer by inflicting his insidious sense of style and humor -- which, while sometimes a hoot (MASH and NASHVILLE)-- here are constantly at odds with Durang's sardonic characters and quirky phrasing. Oddly though, there are super perfs by Glenda Jackson and Tom Conti. Funny line about SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY in stageplay is retained here despite Ms. Jackson's participation in the scene ("You remember...that English actress.") Altman's final pull-out is stunningly creative and confounding. What the...??? Sum-up: patrons at multiplex walk through door with sign over it simply reading "THERAPY". Indeed.

This is a film that I have put off watching for over 30 years and now I know why! Its just not that funny. Its just annoying with irritating whiny voices! There is so many brilliant films in the world to watch, and this is not anywhere near that!

Christopher Durang's brilliant play is almost a complete mess in the Robert Altman movie adaptation. Beyond Therapy is supposed to be a fast-paced farce where eccentric characters collide in a series of dinner dates and therapy sessions. The movie version fails to deliver.

The scenes from the movie are loosely strung together in a haphazard manner giving the overall movie a disjointed feeling with no ongoing throughline. The characters lack charm so you don't feel like you're rooting for them to overcome - I was just rooting for it to end. There are some memorable performances from supporting characters but Goldblum & Hagerty withered in their performances.

A much better example of the genre would be 1992's "Noises Off" from Peter Bogdanovich. Based on the play, it's a fast-paced farce with a stunning cast and timeless comedy. It's a much better way to spend your time.

This movie has been trashed by a lot of folks, both professional reviewers and amateurs, and gets an overall little better than a "4" average in this site. Some I've seen have given it a zilch - not even 1 star. There are those who bemoan Altman's ruining Durang's great play (c'mon, he's a good one, but certainly not Shakespeare, and this story isn't "Hamlet"). Besides, he wrote the screenplay, too, and who - either writing or viewing this film - should be surprised at Altman's usual cacophony among the participants. This signature trait of his is why so many folks are at the opposite extremes in their opinions of Altman's work (I'm one of those who love his films).

"Columbo" is one of my all-time favorite television shows, especially the earlier ones (after only the great "Larry Sanders Show;" don't know whether "Larry David" will settle into 3rd place, or nudge-out Peter Falk). My late mother couldn't watch "Columbo," although detective dramas were always her favorite genre. She couldn't abide his mumbling, and the way he always schlepped into and out of scenes, and always came back for "just one more thing." She was very intelligent, and didn't need me to explain that these were the key elements of this iconic lead character - she simply didn't like them. So it should be with those who watch an Altman offering and then bitch about it. Go watch some "Capra," no less great in his own way than Altman, but you'll keep your blood pressure down.

This flick is outstanding, in my opinion. The characters are quirky (understatement), funny, sympathetic and interesting. The main cast - Goldblum, Hagerty, Guest, Conti, Jackson and Page - are wonderful, as are the supporting group. I'll admit - making the film in Paris, with a New York setting, is unusual, and seems at first an interesting puzzle - but not really (who wouldn't, for example, take the opportunity to film a story set, say, in Los Angeles, in Madrid, if the producers would approve?). This is one of those films, also, where I find myself rewinding the DVD to see certain scenes over again, every time I watch it.

Altman usually is brilliant, but after many viewings of "Beyond Therapy" it does not come together, as a comedy. And I wanted it to be great.

As usual, Altman, records the sound, in a real life conversational style, you have to strain to hear the lines. A second viewing will get you into the comedy, but you will have to work for it.

Odd casting left me cold, but they did well, especially Glenda Jackson, and I loved her best.

One of Ms. Jackson's last film appearances, before becoming a PM in England.

Clever shots, in the window from the outside, was realistic, as you felt you were actually overhearing therapy sessions. Bein a family therapist myself, I found the story especially, amusing.

They must have had a lot of fun, making this film.

I wish I could have joined in the party, but felt remotely distant from the action, as an uninvited guest. Stage play originally, which had a short run in LA.

Eat before you see this film, as the film's story will leave you hungry for dinner.