You won't be disappointed!

To me, this movie is perfection.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I had read/heard good things about this movie so many times I had no doubts that I would enjoy it.....unfortunately that is so far from the truth. Where to start.... 1. Loren Dean has got to be one of the most wooden, uninterested, bored actors I've ever seen. This was clearly just a paycheck or he has zero acting ability. His role ruined most of the ability to even watch this. While others around him SORTA tried he was so boring I wanted it to be over. 2.normally kind of good actors, i.e Jason lee, tanked in this movie too. It's not their fault the script sucked and wasn't believable but it's their fault they took the role.3. What exactly was the point of this movie? To make fun of bumpkins? To show we all have issues???? I could rant all day but I won't, just trust me and don't waste your time.

Read Roger Ebert's review on this little gem. Don't let the haters sway you. Suspend your disbelief at the door, and just let this one wash over you. I saw it tonight on The Movie Channel. Don't know how it slipped past me at the time, except "American Beauty" premiered around the same time.This is a "feel good" film in the best of ways. Some people said it's a forgettable work, but I disagree. For me, not that many films make my heart smile, and when that happens, it sticks.Lovely ensemble cast, and shot on location in exquisite Sonoma.A great date night rental, suitable to view with your teens (drug use and nudity-- but not gratuitously).Really, you could do much worse than this sweet, albeit minor film.

This is an honest movie about dishonesty. (Lawrence Kasdan), as a writer and director, did it so well. The cutest thing about it is giving the same name of the town (that the events take place in) to the lead/ the phony doctor who hides his truth. In fact the people of this little town are more or less like him. They all hide their truth, not avowing what they really want. This is a society that keeps itself behind masks; where everybody got used to wear, and nobody wants to take off to even know themselves.All the movie's elements (performance, cinematography, editing and music) are low-key. Here the deep sarcasm is mixed with a sense of tenderness attractively. The peak of both is in the scene in which the town's real psychiatrist feels great by talking to the town's unreal psychiatrist. Well, it's not only about how most doctors are blinded by making money more than seriously listening, but also it's about how not all the science is found in the books after all !There are no major problems I saw. Only a minor one about the fat pharmacist. I didn't wholly understand the character of that man. He lives many daydreams in a way separates him away from his reality. And he keeps dreaming of a hero that increases his incapacity compared to him. But how when the doctor just shows him the source of these reveries (the novels and comics of the 1950s) the man turns into another one, knowing exactly himself and what he wants, becoming his own "hero" in fantasy and reality ?? The movie doesn't give us any reason that makes a successful remedy out of this facing !! It's about lying. Or rather the worst kind at all; lying on one's self. However on a big scale, turning this behavior into the easiest – most current – societal dope. And how we win the satisfaction by stopping the stupefaction. I don't know how this very good movie isn't a big classic yet. It's sad how some certain movies got all the praise, the Oscars, and the immortalization, while others don't. Anyway, the "truthfulness" of its talent captivates anyone who watches it. And it is a big classic for me.

Of all of the comments to date, Jotix describes this film best. It is very reminiscent of some of the work of the great directors of Hollywood's Golden Era: Frank Capra, Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges. I cannot imagine categorizing this film. It is not a pure comedy, although it provides moments of cleverness and humor. But there is also a significant element of dramatic tension. It is certainly no intellectual tour de force, however, it is much more than a way to while away 100 minutes (or whatever the length of the film is). It is not a morality play, although you might find something meaningful to take away with you. It is a finely crafted, subtly nuanced, multi-faceted film, mirroring its title character. You might conclude from other opinions that Mumford (the character) is passive out of timidity or lack of purpose or even in order to preserve his anonymity. However, I believe he is passionate about his "profession" and has a very clear philosophy and purpose. I think his therapeutic prescriptions for his "patients" represent sympathetic, compassionate and very intentional interventions in their lives. However, his persona is low-key and his methods of intervention are indirect. Thus their dramatic impact seems to be just the natural consequence of the patients' living their own lives - just as the good doctor intends.This kind of subtlety is in short demand and hence supply in the contemporary world of in-your-face computer generated special effects, one dimensional characters and unimaginative dialog. But, if you enjoy films like Grand Canyon, The Accidental Tourist, Local Hero and Passion Fish, you'll like this film. It is driven by a great balance of plot and well developed characters, played by a wonderful ensemble cast.