At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

If Kevin Spacey, who has Tried it All, decided to just Get Baked and Play the Shrink completely Stoned, this is what it would Look Like. This is a Great Actor getting Toasted and and then Saying...Action.It is a Movie that Tries way too Hard to be Quirky (a ready to give birth surrogate woman having sex). The Caricatures are all a bit Off Beat by Script Design and None except the OCD Producer come Alive Enough to be Interesting, and adding Robin Williams Playing Robin Williams has a Few Zingers, but that's about it.Spacey's Shrink showing up on TV and coming Unglued is Embarrassingly Bad Writing and Movie Making. The Wrap-Up is completely Contrived and the Hollywood Unmasking is a been there done that Bore. Nothing here Rises Above Average and the Movie looks like a Poser. Nothing New, Nothing that Interesting, and Watching Rich, Depressed People is a Hard Sell and this one is Not worth Much.

Perhaps I should preface this review by pointing out that I can only imagine that I am the intended target audience for this film; a student studying psychology at university, a bit of a film fanatic, a fan on Kevin Spacy's work, with a penchant for films with a sad edge. However, I don't think any of that makes my opinion invalid on this matter and I genuinely believe this is an underrated film.Critics were rather harsh on this film, as shown by the 40 average on Metacritic; however I can't help but question reviews which claim that "The more Shrink tries to get you invested in the emotional turmoil of its characters, the more you want to reach into the screen and shake them and tell them to get over themselves." At no moment did I find myself telling a man who's wife commit suicide, who felt like a fraud in his work because he was meant to be leading others to happiness when he couldn't escape depression himself, to get over himself. Nor did I feel repulsed by a daughter's plight over her mother's suicide. Of course, not all the characters' problems were as serious as this, indeed one is not supposed to feel sorry for Jack Holden (Robin Williams) or Partick (Dallas Roberts), a fact that seems to be overlooked by venom filled reviewers who condemn this as a Hollywood 'pity party'.Ultimately, however, if you look past all the resent that seems to be associated with reviewing this film you just see a really good drama, with impressive performances from the cast in general and stand-outs from Kevin Spacey (Henry) and Sierra McClain (Jemma) as the aforementioned psychiatrist and school girl, respectively, as they attempt to overcome the sense of guilt and responsibility which they associate with their loved one's suicides. Yes, the ending is somewhat contrived and can be seen a mile off, but this is a genuinely satisfying drama with some great shots and a nice, understated, soundtrack.Certainly worth a watch.

Kevin Spacey is the "Shrink", a pot-smoking, dejected L.A. therapist. Celebrities walk in and out of his office, leaving him even less caring. There is a fair amount of humour in the dialogue making all of the lonely, despondent people not quite as sad as they otherwise would be.The plot should develop when he meets Jemma (Keke Palmer) a downcast teenager. She's the one that seems to tie in all the characters; the suffering screenwriter, the delusional executive, the pregnant assistant, the ageing actress, and the womanizing, alcoholic Robin Williams (I think he probably is playing his real self). It's an ensemble film with interweaving characters, but not much happens.It gets interesting at the end, but they don't take the potential amusing conflicts anywhere, just giving the characters happier resolutions. "Shrink" is a well written, well made film, but the plot is replaced with depressed characters searching for just a little bit of meaning which the film is actually able to supply.

I am calling my movie shrink! Yes, they do have that! I have just witnessed the most appalling excuse of a movie entitled "Shrink". Director Jonas Pate's movie had no uppers but plenty of downers. Kevin Spacey stars as Hollywood Psychiatrist Dr. Henry Carter who loves to smoke his shrinking marijuana joints and indulge in self-pity due to his wife's recent suicide. Dr. Carter is a psychiatrist to many Hollywood types including: movie stars, inspiring writers, and narcissistic agents. A few of those fill in the intertwined supporting story lines of the movie, which were non-therapeutic to the non-existence viewing pleasure of "Shrink". Thomas Moffett was definitely "off it" with his mind-numbing screenplay. Just 10 minutes into the movie, I wanted to enlarge my DVD remote control's shrinky mute button to get to it faster so I would not have to hear more of the "Shrink" atrocious screenplay within the numerous story lines. I cannot fathom that the multitalented Kevin Spacey would be crazy enough to be a part of this unauthentic narrative. He did what he could in his starring role as Dr. Carter, but I would have counseled Mr. Spacey to skip his acting session with this stinker of a movie. The supporting acting was in need of some thespian therapy and the only act it called for was an Actor Baker Act. However, I must commend Dallas Roberts for his amusing performance as the self-indulged Hollywood agent Patrick. Patrick's session with Dr. Carter discussing his obsessive compulsive disorder was the only worthy scene of the movie. Director Jonas Pate's disorderly direction of "Shrink" was an exercise in inferiority; this Jonas Brother hit all the low notes. All of this negativity is a shame because I was psyched about the premise of "Shrink"; but after seeing the shambles of it all, it should have been institutionalized in the "scared straight to DVD" department. * Failure