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Bookmark this pageManic (2001)
Director: Jordan Melamed
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A teen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest filmed like The Idiots (on DV, vérité-style), Manic confidently establishes its own tone and milieu through a calmly justified faith in its material. The setting is a juvenile psychiatric facility, a tentative, recreation centre limbo between the free world and permanent confinement - some inmates go one way, some the other. Most come with exaggerations of normal teen dysfunctions, typically revolving around a parent; Lyle (Gordon-Levitt) has anger and denial issues - he won't take responsibility for his violent outbursts. As their taxed warden and counsellor, Cheadle initially threatens to unbalance the film with his star baggage, but he gives a superlatively controlled, back-heel performance. The younger actors, too, really live their parts - it's an undemonstrative, vividly authentic film.Author: NB
User reviews of this film
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- jglover said...
- Posted on Feb 16 2008 18:41 i have't seen this film, but checked it up on somewhere and got interested. the review makes sure that i will see the film very soon.
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Cast & crew
Director: Jordan Melamed
Producer: Trudi Callon, Kirk Hassig
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Bacall, Zooey Deschanel, Cody Lightning, Elden Henson, Sara Rivas, Don Cheadle full cast
Duration: 100 mins
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