Diminished Capacity (2008)
Average Rating: 5.3/10
Reviews Counted: 31
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 20
This low-key comedy about memory loss offers mild pleasures but is too bland to fully resonate.
Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 13
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 9
This low-key comedy about memory loss offers mild pleasures but is too bland to fully resonate.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 27,543
My Rating
Movie Info
Author Sherwood Kiraly pens the screenplay adaptation of his own comedic novel concerning a man (Matthew Broderick) who gets amnesia after suffering a blow to the head and the road trip he embarks on with his Alzheimer's-afflicted uncle (Alan Alda) and high-school sweetheart (Virginia Madsen). Convinced that they will make a fortune by selling an ultra-rare baseball card at a high-profile memorabilia show, the trio sets out on the open road in search of adventure. Bobby Cannavale and Lois Smith
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Matthew Broderick
Cooper -
Virginia Madsen
Charlotte -
Alan Alda
Uncle Rollie -
Dylan Baker
Mad Dog McClure -
Louis C.K.
Big Stan -
Bobby Cannavale
Lee Vivyan -
Lois Smith
Belle -
Ernie Banks
Himself -
Jimmy Bennett
Dillon -
Jeff Perry
Casey Dean -
Tom Aldredge
Wendell -
P.J. Brown
Reese -
Michael Wright
McCormick -
Jim True-Frost
Donnie Prine -
Ray Thomas
Gordy -
Christopher Bauer
Lloyd -
Bhavna de Montebello
Doctor Gupta -
Heidi Neurauter
Irene Sasso -
Carolyn Baeumler
Diane McClure -
Doug Bost
Customer -
Jack Sabato
Troy Bannister
ADVERTISEMENT
Diminished Capacity Trailer & Photos
All Critics (32) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (20)
Sherwood Kiraly's slight script only makes this embarrassment of riches seem more embarrassing.
Top CriticAlda's Hawkeye Pierce charm gives way to something snappish and cagey, while Broderick's fussy stiffness is perfect.
The actors look as if they're having a reasonably fine time, but there's no sense of commitment here, no sense that this was a movie that absolutely, passionately had to be made.
A mild pleasure from one end to the other, but not much more.
Striving for low-key character comedy, Diminished Capacity ends up diminishing its returns.
It has moments of sweetness, but not enough poignancy or wit to turn it into the endearing art-house comedy that it aspires to be.
It's quite easy: either go get a sedative and calm down, dear. Or see this gentle and frankly boring-as-hell movie.
This Sundance hit is a sleeper surprise of the summer -- a one-of-a-kind original.
A gentle, agreeable dramedy, Capacity reveals that Kinney has a unique hold on tone and shares a palpable charm with his actors.
Suffering from a diminished level of interest, do we know how to live up to a title, or what?
I wonder if all this worked better as a book. It begins modestly interesting, but becomes merely agitated.
Didn't we invent film festivals so we could sequester all the star-studded 'how I spent my summer vacation' indie film projects and keep them out of our arthouses?
Although this is no 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', Matthew Broderick does return to Chicago for a wonderful, wacky little gem.
There is some suspense as to the fate of that baseball card.
A slog through determined wackiness, it's apt to leave audiences cold.
Smart and well-written, filled with good lines and just enough offbeat moments to make it interesting, not annoying.
Audience Reviews for Diminished Capacity
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Diminished Capacity yet.
Latest News on Diminished Capacity
July 1, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Hancock Isn't Signature SmithThis week at the movies, we've got moody superheroes (Hancock, starring Will Smith and Charlize...
What's Hot On RT
Trailer for James Franco adaptation
Star Trek opens softer than expected
Rachel McAdams' time travel romantic drama
Trailer for Tom Hanks thriller
Featured on RT
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Star Trek Softer Than Expected at #1 68
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 36
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 105
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
- VIP Access: Eli Roth talks Aftershock 1
- Total Recall: Star Trek Movies 95
Top Headlines
-
Alex Gibney Talks We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
0
-
RED Screenwriters Returning for RED 3
0
-
Brave's Brenda Chapman Talks Merida Makeover Controversy
0
-
Gold Discovers Spike Lee
1
-
Morgan Freemand and Diane Keaton Team Up for Life Itself
0
-
The Ten O'Clock People Are Counting on Chris Evans
0
-
Marton Csokas in Talks for The Equalizer
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
