Now, he sleepwalks through his practice, refilling prescriptions of ativan, and God knows what else to bored housewives, who have such little regard for him that they don’t even bother to stop text messaging throughout their appointments. Fans of his, and I know there are many on this site, need to check this tour-DE-force performance out for themselves- and hopefully this will get enough exposure to give Jane the stature he should have gotten years ago.įormer heartthrob Rob Lowe plays a doctor who’s family spontaneously decided they could do without him. For Jane, this is the one role he’s played that really lives up to the potential he showed in STANDER. Jane’s character was once a tremendously succesful writer, who suffered through a case of writer’s block that was so severe, he’s been reduced to teaching high school English to a classroom of kids who couldn’t care less.For him, the way to deal is just to plow his way through as many casual flings as he can, while drenching his insecurities in booze and loud punk rock. Those of us that have suffered through the same feelings of failure, regret, and unfulfilled promise that this foursome of friends have experienced, will know different.Įach man in the film perceives himself as a failure to some degree, and these feelings are perfectly emobodied by each of the leads in tremendously vulnerable performances, with no weak links in the bunch. It’s anger may be dismissed as the ramblings of men suffering through a midlife crisis. One might even call it nihilistic, and this is really one of the angriest films I’ve ever seen. One thing no one will be able to call I MELT WITH YOU is saccharine. It’s really a big departure for director Mark Pellington, who first popped up on my radar with his incredible sleeper, ARLINGTON ROAD (which still has one of the best mindf**k endings I’ve ever seen), but stumbled a bit with THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES (which isn’t as bad as it’s rep suggests) and HENRY POOLE IS HERE, which barely got a release, but was criticized as a rather saccharine film. Those that hate this film will likely loathe it with a passion, but those that adore it will champion it with the same resolve.

However, I’d also wager that a good 50% of the audience thought the film was incredible, and I’m happy to say I’m one of them.įor me, a film like I MELT WITH YOU that polarizes an audience, is always more interesting than something that’s universally loved. Heck, of the press audience I saw this with, I’d wager about a quarter of the audience walked out, while another quarter seemed openly contemptuous of the film once the credits rolled. REVIEW: I MELT WITH YOU is yet another Sundance entry that’s really going to divide audiences. PLOT: Four friends (Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, Christian McKay) suffering through their own various midlife crises, unite for a week-long binge of boozing, and rampant drug abuse.

I melt with you