MUMFORD

CAPSULE REVIEW –– Lawrence Kasdan is certainly one of cinema's more intelligent and thoughtful writers and directors, creating films that try to get under the skin of the human experience. The trailers for MUMFORD, his latest opus into the hearts and minds of regular people, seemed quaint, amusing and interesting, but not enough to make me go to the theater. However, when I had the chance to catch it recently on cable I figured what the hell. With a cast this good, it had to be at least remotely entertaining. I couldn't stop watching this movie, though I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's about an unusual young man (Dean) who moves to a small town and quickly becomes the leading psychiatrist, doling out somewhat strange, but successful advice to his patients. Of course, he falls under the spell of one of them, which brings forth the film's biggest surprise and a major dilemma for our hero. This comic tale has moments of great humor and true insight, but it never quite finds the right balance. The cast is wonderful, especially Dean and Davis as the doctor and his lady love, giving the film unique characters with a lot of heart. In the end, it just seemed a bit too easy with everyone's future conveniently falling into place, neuroses solved. If you like quirky, little comedies, check out MUMFORD. You could do worse.