Thanks for Sharing

Thanks for Sharing (2012)

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R - 112 min - Comedy, Drama - 14 September 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 6.3/10

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Director : Stuart Blumberg
Writers : Stuart Blumberg, Matt Winston
Stars : Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad

A romantic comedy that brings together three disparate characters who are learning to face a challenging and often confusing world as they struggle together against a common demon: sex addiction.

Movie with a Lot of Heart

There is a lot to like about this movie. Great ensemble performances by Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Joely Richardson, Josh Gad and Pink put a very human face on the different stages of dealing with and recovering from the real life tragedy of sex and love addiction. I consider this a wonderful "feel good" movie that has a broad range of emotions - both comic and tragic - the producers took a big risk to focus on this subject matter as there is the likelihood that a portion of the movie going audience could feel uncomfortable about the overt sexuality portrayed, even though I see it as tastefully done. Interestingly enough, the people I have talked to have echoed my sense that this is a wonderful movie....I wish it well.

There is a lot to laugh about in this movie but this movie is more than just a comedy. There is plenty of poignant drama in this movie also, and I found myself alternately laughing and crying as I found myself connecting and caring about the characters and hoping for good outcomes. As in real life, the results are mixed and at times, messy...

Joely Richardson plays Monica, the long suffering wife of Mike (Tim Robbins), a recovering "cross addicted" alcoholic/sex addict with 15 years of "sobriety" and unfortunately, there is not enough time in a 2 hour movie to flesh out her character. Clearly Mike (Tim Robbins) has made his recovery a big part of his life - what is sometimes called a "bleeding deacon" - and the relationship between Monica (Joely Richardson) and Mike seems harmonious until their addict son Danny (Patrick Fugit) returns home and the tension between a Mom and Dad dealing with their son in a dysfunctional family system gets played out.

Featured early on is Adam (Mark Ruffalo), a sex addict with 5 years of "sobriety" who is "sponsored" by Mike and ready to start dating again after choosing total abstinence to get his addiction under control. The great lengths Adam goes to in achieving sobriety seems rather ridiculous until you realize the powerful nature of addiction, which is the subject of a later portion of the movie and some of Ruffalo's best work as you feel his pain as he strives for "normalcy". Enter Phoebe (Gyneth Paltrow) as Adam's new love interest. Phoebe is a cancer survivor and her relationship with food and fitness are intriguing. A primary focus of their growing love and infatuation centers on Adam's deep fears around being love and accepted. The movie made me care about Adam and Phoebe both, hoping for a good outcome and a happy ending. I credit the writer's for taking us on some unexpected twists and turns that serve to highlight the reality of the disease of sex and love addiction and how it effects relationships.

Josh Gad is the comic relief in the movie - His character Neil is a young ER Doctor in the early stages of recovery from sex addiction and the movie takes a sympathetic look at the challenges and slips of making big changes in life to achieve sobriety early on. Neil is like a lot of sex addicts in early recovery - not taking it seriously until his addiction forces him to go deeper. Pink is a scene stealer as Dede, a female sex addict also going through the torment of early recovery from sex and love addiction...yes, it happens to females too. The growing friendship between Neil and Dede is another element where you really care how things will turn out.

OK the movie is far from perfect. Some might see the Paltrow character as shallow but that is the point: she has her own albeit different issues - dealing with her own demons - and the attraction between Adam and Phoebe makes sense as they are both finding a mirror into some deep stuff. Will they stay or will they run? The family drama and tension around Mike, Monica and Danny seems somewhat contrived and I attribute that to the movie choosing to deal with the deep topic of family dynamics and attempting to wrap things up in less then 2 hours. Trust me - everything that happens is plausible in real life even if you may see it coming ahead of time.

So yes, I like this movie. I like this movie a lot. I will confess my bias as I am a sex and love addiction professional (and recovering myself) and yet, my only stake in this all is that I hope the movie will succeed enough that it will allow others in the movie industry to take risks like this to entertain and educate us in the sense that the movie handles this controversial movie topic with sympathy, humor and accuracy in depicting the disease and the road to recovery.

And, at the end of the day, I left this movie entertained. I laughed...a lot....I got choked up and cried. I applauded endings that were not totally cliché and yet, offered hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Go see this movie. Go see this movie with someone you love and care about. It will open you up and make you feel....If you remember and enjoyed "My Life as a House" with Kevin Kline...this is your kind of movie...

Watch Thanks for Sharing Trailer :

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