Beyond Therapy (1987)

• Year: 1987
• Released: 01 Apr 1987
• Country: United States
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092646/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beyond_therapy
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Comedy
• Runtime: 93 min
• Writer: Christopher Durang, Robert Altman
• Director: Robert Altman
• Cast: Julie Hagerty, Jeff Goldblum, Glenda Jackson
• Keywords: husband wife relationship, based on play or musical, psychiatrist, therapy, manhattan, new york city, bisexual man,

	4.8/10
	17% – Critics
	30% – Audience

Beyond Therapy Storyline

This is an insane and fast-paced romantic comedy about a bizarre dinner date among Bruce (Goldblum) and Prudence (Hagerty), and their lunatic therapists, and Bruce’s jealous, gun-wielding homosexual lover Stuart, and Stuart’s over-protective mother, and a whole group of very odd New York characters. Will Bruce and Prudence find love amidst all the craziness?—nt.1

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Beyond Therapy Movie Reviews

Beyond Watchable

I’ve been having my own little Altman revival over the past months, watching all of his available movies in chronological order, both his masterpieces and his duds. I’m up to 1987, and I think I may have finally found it — that elusive thing known as Robert Altman’s absolutely worst film.

If you know about Altman, you know that all of his movies were an experiment to a greater or lesser extent and that some of them misfired dismally. In re-watching them with a fresh eye, I’ve found that none (not even some really bad ones, like “A Wedding”, “Quintet”, or “Popeye”) misfired quite as egregiously as “Beyond Therapy”. A farcical romp lampooning modern-day (for the time) romance, sexual preferences, neurotics and the analysts who are crazier than they are, “Beyond Therapy” has nothing to recommend it. The two leads, Jeff Goldblum and Julie Hagerty, make their characters instantly unlikable and never recover. Tom Conti and Glenda Jackson are probably the best members of the cast, as two whacked out therapists, but the parts they’re given to play feel random and arbitrary. Christopher Guest basically plays the petulant gay man he would reprise so classically ten years later in “Waiting for Guffman”.

I don’t know how Christopher Durang’s stage play would read in a different context. It seems paper thin judging by this version, but knowing Altman, I have a feeling he dealt with the source material liberally, and who knows how much of Durang’s original play remains. This film certainly has Altman’s footprints all over it, and in this case that’s not a good thing.

Grade: F

It’s ALTMAN folks – and a good presentation of same!

This movie has been trashed by a lot of folks, both professional reviewers and amateurs, and gets an overall little better than a “4” average in this site. Some I’ve seen have given it a zilch – not even 1 star. There are those who bemoan Altman’s ruining Durang’s great play (c’mon, he’s a good one, but certainly not Shakespeare, and this story isn’t “Hamlet”). Besides, he wrote the screenplay, too, and who – either writing or viewing this film – should be surprised at Altman’s usual cacophony among the participants. This signature trait of his is why so many folks are at the opposite extremes in their opinions of Altman’s work (I’m one of those who love his films).

“Columbo” is one of my all-time favorite television shows, especially the earlier ones (after only the great “Larry Sanders Show;” don’t know whether “Larry David” will settle into 3rd place, or nudge-out Peter Falk). My late mother couldn’t watch “Columbo,” although detective dramas were always her favorite genre. She couldn’t abide his mumbling, and the way he always schlepped into and out of scenes, and always came back for “just one more thing.” She was very intelligent, and didn’t need me to explain that these were the key elements of this iconic lead character – she simply didn’t like them. So it should be with those who watch an Altman offering and then bitch about it. Go watch some “Capra,” no less great in his own way than Altman, but you’ll keep your blood pressure down.

This flick is outstanding, in my opinion. The characters are quirky (understatement), funny, sympathetic and interesting. The main cast – Goldblum, Hagerty, Guest, Conti, Jackson and Page – are wonderful, as are the supporting group. I’ll admit – making the film in Paris, with a New York setting, is unusual, and seems at first an interesting puzzle – but not really (who wouldn’t, for example, take the opportunity to film a story set, say, in Los Angeles, in Madrid, if the producers would approve?). This is one of those films, also, where I find myself rewinding the DVD to see certain scenes over again, every time I watch it.

Outrageous–And Outrageously Under Appreciated

Christopher Durang’s off-Broadway play BEYOND THERAPY was a triumph, and Durang himself worked with director Robert Altman to bring it to the screen. The result is a truly remarkable film–beautifully played by a first-rate cast, quick paced, provocative, romantic, and very, very funny–that is frequently attacked for not being a line-for-line translation of the stage original.

Unlike some Altman films, BEYOND THERAPY actually offers storyline. When Prudence and Bruce (Julie Hagerty and Jeff Goldblum) meet for a blind date the result is disastrous–not surprising, when Bruce casually notes that he is bisexual and living with lover Bob (Christopher Guest.) Prudence and Bruce rush back to their therapists (Tom Conti and Glenda Jackson, respectively) for advice… but their therapists are nuttier than they are, and soon they, Bob, Bob’s mother Zizi (Genevieve Page), and the entire waitstaff of a French restaurant are dragged into the fray.

Durang’s script adaptation and Altman’s wall-of-sound take on it is wickedly funny, and so many memorable lines (“My mother is NOT a transvestite!”) bounce through the film that the effect is absolutely dizzying; the sound design is also memorable for the constant car crashes and china shattering that occurs in the background, a metaphor for collision of characters happening before our eyes. The entire cast is absolutely first rate (Hagerty, Goldblum, and Guest have never been better), and Altman guides them with a very sure hand.

Altman’s vision always divides viewers: you either like his films or you do not. Although BEYOND THERAPY offers a relatively small cast in a cohesive story, it is actually one of Altman’s most visually and aurally kaleidoscopic films, and it is unlikely to convert those who find his style confusing and frustrating. But that said, this is a must-have film for any Altman fan, a truly enjoyable romantic comedy with a razor sharp script and a joyous style. Strongly, strongly recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer