Manic
"A serious, effective film that deserves your attention." - E! Online
Don Cheadle (Traffic) is "simply mesmerizing" (Entertainment Today) in this "piercing... intimate and edgy" ("Sixty Second Preview") drama about troubled teens hovering on the edge of sanity. Featuring an exceptional young cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("3rd Rock From the Sun") and Zooey Deschanel (All the Real Girls), Manic is "a remarkable gem of a film" (London Film Festival).
At first glance, 17-year-old Lyle Jensen (Gordon-Levitt) seems eerily quiet and withdrawn. But he has a problem with anger, and this time his explosive rage has landed him in the juvenile ward of a mental institution under the watchful eye of therapist David Monroe (Cheadle). Can Dr. Monroe get Lyle and the other kids to open up, confront their demons and reclaim their lives?
Member Reviews
Manic - julianrjh
I've seen this movie a few times, mostly for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The movie itself is pretty good, it's got a lot to say about the treatment of emotionally shredded teenagers without knocking you over the head with its perspective. But it's really Gordon-Levitt's show, his contempt for the environment spills out onto the screen.manic - binky
This film begins with Lyle (Gordon-Levitt) being brought into a juvenile mental facility against his will, after he beat another kid with a baseball bat and almost killing him.
Lyle quickly realizes that everyone in that facility has serious psychiatric disorders, from his 12 year old roomie who is a child molester to his new close friend who is bi-polar.
Cheadle plays the deeply involved therapist who may also have a chemical imbalance as the patients continually watch him take his own meds.
Not only do these kids have chemical neurons misfiring, but, they also have to deal with 'molesting stepdads', 'parents with the same genetics', 'uncaring guardians', 'suffocating relatives, etc. Their burdens are too much to bear.
The dialogue is so honest and real that I felt I had spent 100 minutes in tight quarters, right in there with them. A heart-wrenching time was had by all.Highly recommended! - rasca58
I loved this movie. It is the type of thing you do not want to miss. Reaaaaaaally good :))
Is a story about a violent teen that is forced to confront his issues of rage and frustration when he is placed in a juvenile mental institution against his will.
Member Reviews
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Manic - julianrjh
I've seen this movie a few times, mostly for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The movie itself is pretty good, it's got a lot to say about the treatment of emotionally shredded teenagers without knocking you over the head with its perspective. But it's really Gordon-Levitt's ...manic - binky
This film begins with Lyle (Gordon-Levitt) being brought into a juvenile mental facility against his will, after he beat another kid with a baseball bat and almost killing him.
Lyle quickly realizes that everyone in that facility has serious psychiatric ...Highly recommended! - rasca58
I loved this movie. It is the type of thing you do not want to miss. Reaaaaaaally good :))
Is a story about a violent teen that is forced to confront his issues of rage and frustration when he is placed in a juvenile mental institution against his will.