Hope Davis steals the show here, although what she was doing in this film is beyond explanation.

The film does not let the viewer get deep inside any of the characters, certainly what should be paramount in a film that deals with human nature, love, and anxiety. Instead we are offered a script that is so obvious I imagined a five year old with a crayon scribbling it down during recess before submitting it to the studio.

Before you settle down with this film expecting a cozy little vignette about relationships be warned, it is chock full of unnecessary swearing and breast flashing. The review I read likened it to a Frank Capra film; well, you're much better off with the real thing.

Do yourself a favor and don't read any of the other reviews, because some give away the big twist in the middle (ruining the movie for you).

Hey, reviewers, don't ruin the movies for everybody. That just isn't nice

This is the story of a pseudo-psychologist named Mumford (Loren Dean) who lives and practices in a town named Mumford. He's not the typical shrink. He'll make you feel bad if he has to, he'll tell you to never come back to his office again, and he'll divulge your inner most secrets to anyone who wants to know them. But in spite of his unprofessional approaches to therapy, the whole town seems to love him. We learn half-way through the movie that he's not really a psychologist at all, and everything this town knows about me is completely fraudulent. He's really a former investigator for the Internal Revenue Service who took a few wrong turns in life and decided to completely relinquish his past and start over in this town. The movie shows him treating several very colorful and interesting patients with some very serious problems before his true identity is discovered, though I won't reveal the consequences he must face in the end.

Loren Dean does an adequate job in his performance as a sober-minded psychologist. Though, he's not a terribly gifted actor, and I don't see why anyone would want to give him the lead role in a major movie. Hope Davis, Jason Lee, Alfre Woodard, and Mary McDonnell are also good in their performances as Mumford's patients.

I suppose the reason why this movie wasn't very appealing to me was that the plot was too "by the numbers." In fact, there wasn't much of a plot at all. It relies too much of trying to evoke certain feelings or moods from its audience, which just doesn't ever happen. There's enough substance here to keep a viewer engaged for the duration of the movie, but just not enough to evoke emotion.

THE MOVIE: This wonderfully pleasant film has a steady pace and upbeat attitude throughout. It is a good film for both entertainment and as a catalyst for personal growth introspection. Why is it so difficult for us to change ourselves? Sometimes all we need for change is a little help and trust from someone, but then how easy is it to be so engrossed in our problem and forget about the person who is helping us. Then again, our problems sometimes look so simple from a different perspective.

This film has excellent examples of patience, kindness, firmness, and healthy attitudes. Even with a problem one can have a healthy attitude. No matter how bad a problem, everything's okay. If only we could behave towards others like the psychologist Mumford. Maybe what we need is to spend time in a monastery.