The Treatment

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The Treatment
Chris Eigeman, Ian Holm, Famke Janssen
Directed by Oren Rudavsky
VVS Films 2007
90 minutes

This is a conspiracy. I am not partial to chick flicks but lately we’ve been getting many romantic comedy DVDs. The latest is The Treatment. This one is different. Yes, the main character is seeing a shrink after a break up but the shrink in here, played by Ian Holm, is either an appointment book short of a practice or an excellent therapist.

The Treatment is a subdued movie about real adults in rather real situations and that alone was a welcome change of pace.

Jake Singer (Chris Eigeman) is a single guy in his thirties having what seem to be the usual single guy in his thirties troubles. He gets therapy from Dr. Morales (Ian Holm), a shrink who is not against a bit of magic realism (he is South American after all) and whose approach is rather different. He meets the wealthy mother of a student at the private school he teaches at and finds himself in love and in a totally different world emotionally.

The comedy in The Treatment comes mostly from Ian Holm’s Dr. Morales and his ability to show up in the strangest places and at the strangest moments.

The relationship between Jake and Allegra (Famke Janssen) has more of a serious relationship movie tone to it. This is not a gag or laugh out loud kind of movie but it is interesting and charming.

The one weakness in this romantic not quite comedy is the secondary story involving the school basketball team and its star athlete.

I also wondered about the scene where Jake is chopping wood and all you hear is the dialogue.

The Treatment surprises by how unusual it is.

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