Manic (2003)
68 %
Reviews Counted: 57 Fresh: 39 Rotten:18 Average Rating: 6.4/10
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
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]
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
Screenwriter: Michael Bacall, Blayne Weaver
Producer: Trudi Callon, Kirk Hassig
Composer: David Wingo, Michael Linnen
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Reviews
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02/09/06 03:16 AM
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.
03/03/04 04:04 PM
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06/06/03 08:05 AM
Manic's landscape is filled with emotional thunderstorms; don't expect a sunny sky, but you might find a ray of hope.
06/01/03 03:07 PM
natural and perceptive work from a cast comprised of amateurs and professionals
05/31/03 08:29 AM
Shows more hopelessness than optimism but is never less than honest.
05/30/03 01:21 PM
Top Critic Its modesty of aspiration and its naturalism of style are its two most salient values.
05/30/03 08:03 AM
Top Critic Gordon-Levitt explodes any expectations about him. The rage he projects is so real it becomes its own character.
05/27/03 07:59 AM
Top Critic I've rarely seen the hand-held, docudrama approach done with more intimacy or accuracy.
05/23/03 05:24 PM
Manic has quite a bit to recommend it as well, not the least of which is the lack of Hollywood gloss mental patients.
05/23/03 05:22 PM
Top Critic Melamed and his cast provide more than a few truth-divining moments.
05/23/03 05:21 PM
Top Critic
At the end of Manic I'd seen nothing really new, and the camera style made me work hard to see it at all.
05/23/03 05:19 PM
Top Critic 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.
05/22/03 08:16 PM
Top Critic While it neither succeeds nor satisfies as drama, it's a great calling card for the actors involved, principally Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
05/22/03 08:14 PM
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