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MOVIES / ON DVD / MANIC
Manic

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Manic (2003)

68%
73%
72%
N/A
N/A
N/A
68 %
Reviews Counted: 57 Fresh: 39  Rotten:18 Average Rating: 6.4/10
 
Consensus: A well-acted drama about trouble teens. A well-acted drama about trouble teens. more
 
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Theatrical Release: Apr 25, 2003 Limited
Synopsis:
Jordan Melamed's directorial debut is a strikingly honest depiction of life in a juvenile mental ward. Following a disturbing and violent fight at school, Lyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is admitted--against his will--to Northwoods Mental Institution. There he joins a group of troubled... [More]
Jordan Melamed's directorial debut is a strikingly honest depiction of life in a juvenile mental ward. Following a disturbing and violent fight at school, Lyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is admitted--against his will--to Northwoods Mental Institution. There he joins a group of troubled teens: withdrawn Tracey (Zooey Deschanel); bipolar Chad (Michael Bacall); rebellious Sara (Sara Rivas); confrontational Michael (Elden Henson); and fragile Kenny (Cody Lightning). At Northwoods, Lyle must decide if he will allow his rage to rule his life, or if he is willing to find the source of his anger and work through it. Like all of the patients, he is on a painful journey of self-discovery that may ultimately save him from himself. Don Cheadle stars as the resident psychiatrist who works tirelessly to break through to his charges and give them hope. Shot in digital video, the film often evokes the feel of a documentary, an effect enhanced by the emotional, raw performances of the actors. Cheadle and Bacall give particularly memorable performances, and Gordon-Levitt is riveting in a role that is a far cry from the lovable alien he played on the sitcom THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN. [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Bacall

Director: Jordan Melamed
Screenwriter: Michael Bacall, Blayne Weaver
Producer: Trudi Callon, Kirk Hassig
Composer: David Wingo, Michael Linnen

DVD Info

Release:

Jan 20, 2004

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. Jordan Melamud - Director, & Cast
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Featurette - 1. "Behind-the-Scenes of MANIC"

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Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image

A dynamo of a movie with solid performances.

| Comment
02/11/08 03:50 PM
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
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Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
12/30/06 03:34 AM
Empire Magazine
N/R

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Full Review | Comment
02/09/06 03:16 AM
Derek Adams
Time Out
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Full Review | Comment
12/06/05 07:32 PM
Film Threat
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No review available.

| Comment
09/09/05 10:48 AM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
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Full Review | Comment
07/16/05 03:22 AM
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald
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Melamed's slavish devotion to frenetically moving hand-held camera shots is perplexing at first, looking like an obvious attempt at obtaining Dogme 95 credibility.

Full Review | Comment
03/03/04 04:04 PM
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife
N/R

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Full Review | Comment
06/06/03 08:05 AM
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
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Manic's landscape is filled with emotional thunderstorms; don't expect a sunny sky, but you might find a ray of hope.

Full Review | Comment
06/01/03 03:07 PM
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online
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natural and perceptive work from a cast comprised of amateurs and professionals

Full Review | Comment
05/31/03 08:29 AM
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews
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Shows more hopelessness than optimism but is never less than honest.

Full Review | Comment
05/30/03 01:21 PM
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
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Its modesty of aspiration and its naturalism of style are its two most salient values.

Full Review | Comment
05/30/03 08:03 AM
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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Ratings Image

Gordon-Levitt explodes any expectations about him. The rage he projects is so real it becomes its own character.

Full Review | Comment
05/27/03 07:59 AM
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
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A movie of heart and substance.

Full Review | Comment
05/23/03 05:25 PM
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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I've rarely seen the hand-held, docudrama approach done with more intimacy or accuracy.

Full Review | Comment
05/23/03 05:24 PM
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
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Manic has quite a bit to recommend it as well, not the least of which is the lack of Hollywood gloss mental patients.

Full Review | Comment
05/23/03 05:22 PM
Tom Long
Detroit News
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Melamed and his cast provide more than a few truth-divining moments.

Full Review | Comment
05/23/03 05:21 PM
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
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At the end of Manic I'd seen nothing really new, and the camera style made me work hard to see it at all.

Full Review | Comment
05/23/03 05:19 PM
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Yes, there are the usual lessons learned, but the movie also speaks the truth about kids who need to lash out but only end up harming each other and themselves.

Full Review | Comment
05/22/03 08:16 PM
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
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While it neither succeeds nor satisfies as drama, it's a great calling card for the actors involved, principally Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Full Review | Comment
05/22/03 08:14 PM
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
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