Shrink

Henry Carter, a psychiatrist to celebrities in Los Angeles, is in worse shape than his patients after his wife's suicide. He smokes all day and falls asleep in sessions. A young patient he takes on for free is the one rope the film gives him. Jonas Pate directed. Kevin Spacey plays Carter, with Robin Williams, Saffron Burrows, Dallas Roberts and Keke Palmer in the cast. The structure follows the multi-strand Los Angeles template: writers, agents, actors and therapists brushing against each other. What is interesting is the inversion of the therapeutic relationship; the one who needs treatment is the doctor, and nobody notices because everyone is busy with their own career. It played at Sundance, went out in limited release and made little impact. Its satire of the industry is soft and the drama resolves too neatly. Spacey's restrained performance still keeps it watchable. Who it is for: viewers who like small dramas in which Hollywood describes itself. Who it is not for: anyone expecting sharp satire; the film forgives everyone in the end.