Rating: 
Summary: Impulsive, Irresponsible, Irrististable...
Review: A spellbinding story of a man on the verge of self destruction who is saved by love. Richard Gere gives a tremendous performance as Mr. Jones, a manic depressive who, during his highs is funny, creative and charming. Sometimes shocking and extremely impulsive, Mr. Jones is a man no woman can resist, including Dr. Libbie Bowen (Lena Olin), his concerned therapist assigned to his case. A movie I wish I hadn't waited so long to see. Well worth buying.
Rating: 
Summary: Once Again
Review: Another therapist falls for patient movie. Otherwise this is a decent film depicting the struggles of manic depression. I liked Gere's performance.
Rating:
Summary: MUST get past that she's his psychiatrist to enjoy the movie
Review: Gere does an amazing job as Mr. Jones, a man suffering from Manic-Depression. The big flaw in the movie is having he and his psychiatrist involved in a sexual relationship. Why they couldn't have made her just a woman he meets, I don't know. Gere's performance is madly wonderful and his relationship--just pretend she ISN'T his doctor, and it will be o.k.--is full of heat and chemistry. There are some worthy moments between Gere and Olin. This is a nice film
Rating:
Summary: love element took away from Gere's performance!
Review: Gere is great at portraying the extremes of bi-polar disorder, but the film is lacking in two major areas. One is the boring doctor/patient relationship and the other is the fact that bi-polar patients also exhibit weeks, months, and even years of "normal" behavior. I wish the film dealt more with the difficulties of having relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Bi-polar disorder is a serious one and medication is a must in order to balance yourself. The movie should have shown some of the struggles of finding the right medication for it.
Rating:
Summary: The relationship can happen, despite earlier review
Review: Having studied bipolar illness via reading of Jamison, Hershman, Fieve, etc., some of America's foremost authorities on bipolar, this provides a strong base to evaluate whether the relationship of Mr. Jones with the psychiatrist is "preposterous" or a "lose-lose path" for the writer of the story to go.If psychiatrists were void of emotion, then yes - it would have been preposterous. If bipolar individuals weren't some of the greatest contributors to the western world, some of the most inspiring people, talented musicians, writers, leaders, then yes it would have been preposterous. But, remember, we're all people with emotions - and the ability to "fall in love". Just as people have fell in love with the works of bipolar writers and artists such as Van Gogh, Beethoven, Schumann, Michaelangelo, just to name a few. Furthermore, it is the 3rd revolution of psychiatry where the focus is on medicine, and such medications as lithium, depakote, prozac and clonopin are available - and organizations such as National Alliance of Mentally Ill have made tremendous progress and the Society for Manic-Depression has found itself highly successful in their remission program for the support of bipolar individuals leading stabler lives, while not losing their inherent intelligence and creativity. Therefore, the earlier review that the relationship between the psychiatrist and Mr. Jones seems to be preposterous and lacking intellectual depth.
Rating: 
Summary: Very accurate and poignant portrayal of bipolar life
Review: I agree that the shrink-patient romance is absurd, but for me this film is WONDERFUL for capturing what it's like to be--or to live with--a manic-depressive. Richard Gere does a phenomenal job of conveying what these folks go thru daily. It's worth watching....just ignore the obligatory 'Hollywood' romance.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie about a fascinating mental disorder
Review: I am a fan of Richard Gere, and I came across this gem a few years ago by word of mouth. This is a wonderful movie that tackles a thorny mental disorder that is receiving much attention today -- bi-polar, manic depressive disorder. It seems that bi-polar sufferers, despite their having a classified "mental disorder", are often exceptionaly creative, brilliant individuals. Many of our great artists, writers, painters, and musicians were (are) manic. Mr. Gere does a fantastic job of portraying such a brilliant/unstable manic sufferer, and really brings the disorder, with all of its twists and turns, to life. The story is true to the struggles and realities of manic sufferers, and uses wonderful images of planes crashing overhead, tightrope walks, and grandiose symphonies that metaphorize what it must be link to be manic. The story veers only in its hollywood insistence on the highly unlikely patient-therapist romance. Five stars for a compelling and original performance by Richard Gere, and a movie that brings to light the fascinating and devestating consequences of manic depression.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie about a fascinating mental disorder
Review: I am a fan of Richard Gere, and I came across this gem a few years ago by word of mouth. This is a wonderful movie that tackles a thorny mental disorder that is receiving much attention today -- bi-polar, manic depressive disorder. It seems that bi-polar sufferers, despite their having a classified "mental disorder", are often exceptionaly creative, brilliant individuals. Many of our great artists, writers, painters, and musicians were (are) manic. Mr. Gere does a fantastic job of portraying such a brilliant/unstable manic sufferer, and really brings the disorder, with all of its twists and turns, to life. The story is true to the struggles and realities of manic sufferers, and uses wonderful images of planes crashing overhead, tightrope walks, and grandiose symphonies that metaphorize what it must be link to be manic. The story veers only in its hollywood insistence on the highly unlikely patient-therapist romance. Five stars for a compelling and original performance by Richard Gere, and a movie that brings to light the fascinating and devestating consequences of manic depression.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent with many funny, touching moments
Review: I'm M-D so take that into consideration. Gere doesn't get enough credit for his acting because he has his own persona like John Wayne and critics can't get over this. His is an outstanding performance, trust me. Lena is my favorite actress to watch and listen to so factor that in also. There are just so many funny scenes in this movie! (And a few oddities; Gere is no carpenter--you hammer nails with your wrist, not your arm.) Fun moments: Gere quoting from Alice In Wonderland while playfully teasing Olin's stock psychologist demeanor, the dialogue in and around the car ride, the table tennis sequence is priceless, in fact all of the dialogue between these two excellent actors is worth watching. Two outstanding dramatic moments are 1)the point of Gere's discovery of Olin's prying into his past(and catching him in a chilling lie)and 2)the subsequent confrontation in the rain; this is Olin at her--or anyone's--best...economical and searing. The only major misfire in this movie is the sexual involvement...should have been platonic but this is easily one of Hollywood's best efforts from the 1990s. I bought it. Aaaahhh, Leeena!! Yum
Rating:
Summary: Excellent with many funny, touching moments
Review: I'm M-D so take that into consideration. Gere doesn't get enough credit for his acting because he has his own persona like John Wayne and critics can't get over this. His is an outstanding performance, trust me. Lena is my favorite actress to watch and listen to so factor that in also. There are just so many funny scenes in this movie! (And a few oddities; Gere is no carpenter--you hammer nails with your wrist, not your arm.) Fun moments: Gere quoting from Alice In Wonderland while playfully teasing Olin's stock psychologist demeanor, the dialogue in and around the car ride, the table tennis sequence is priceless, in fact all of the dialogue between these two excellent actors is worth watching. Two outstanding dramatic moments are 1)the point of Gere's discovery of Olin's prying into his past(and catching him in a chilling lie)and 2)the subsequent confrontation in the rain; this is Olin at her--or anyone's--best...economical and searing. The only major misfire in this movie is the sexual involvement...should have been platonic but this is easily one of Hollywood's best efforts from the 1990s. I bought it. Aaaahhh, Leeena!! Yum
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