Manic

Is it accurate ? I don't know, can't really judge... but it's brilliantly acted, that's for sure.

This is a quintessential early aughts indie: shot on hand held DV cameras, with sparse sets, and a hip soundtrack (including Aphex Twin). It's essentially a showcase for young actors--especially Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But it gets kudos for illustrating how juveniles forgotten in a hopeless system have a chance at repair via proper mentorship. And Don Cheadle is awesome at showing the frustration of that burden. You can only watch it once, but it's still recommended.

The people who said the direction in this movie looked like a student film are spot on. That's probably the reason that Mr. Melamed hasn't directed another film since. With that said, almost all of the performances are terrific (especially the ones you'd expect, JGL, Cheadle), and the story keeps your interest for the duration. A worthwhile experience overall (probably best if you just close your eyes, though).

There was a point in this somewhere, I think, right? I feel cheated for being a JGL-o-phile, but at least I still got to stare at a fully clothed Deschanel even though she's less than peak at this point.

It was alright. It employed the 'shaky cam' style which got on my nerves a bit. I mean, I get it. The characters are unstable. Manic, if you will. But it's just so obvious. Perhaps it would've been okay ten years ago - when the style wasn't as overused as it is today. The whole thing felt a little amateurish, to he honest. Still, it had some good performances and it's not a horrible film.

You've seen the basic story of Manic. A person being forced against his or her will to enter a psychiatric ward isn't a new storyline. But in the details lie the reasons to give this film a shot. The gritty filming style makes you feel like you're there, or at the very least watching a documentary of real events, the characters are well-performed, and while I wish the secondary characters weren't strictly defined by their mental illness, it works in a setting like this one.

Eh. It was okay. Troubled teens. Some good acting. The camera bugged me.

Great acting for the most part but the camera shakiness was annoying and it's hilarious that Hollywood thinks people say 'fuck' at least 2 times per sentence. It's distracting and unrealistic, honestly. But good movie overall.

A movie that throws you into the middle of distraught teenagers who have lost their way. Kids who have put up with too much and now they are paying for it mentally. It is very well done, you don't really fully come to like Levitts character as he is in his own right a bad person and I can appreciate that. It seems everyone has to come to grips with themselves and its much much easier said than done. Don cheadle as the counseler is pretty low key here, yet you can feel that he is their sanity.

Very convincing performance from all actors. Too bad that's only outstanding thing about this movie.

Felt like a student film. The camera moves so fast a lot of things are in a blur, which I'm sure is intentional, for effect, but after a while, it just gets annoying, and it's impossible to make out what's going on most of the time.

Really, really great performances. Not too much else, unfortunately. Feels like an acting reel.

This film presents lifes of the residents of a youth asylum, for temporary care, and it does so in realistic way. The camera angles give it a documentary feel, and in the end the films focal point is made with symbolism.

Gets the point across in a straight-up, honest way. Great acting all around.

Seems to have scenes that are only fairly good, or fairly bad. Acting is pretty good and it kind of feels like a Korine film. Decent at best.

It seemed to be more about anger management than mania. It is not a feel good subject, and you have to be in the mood to watch this examination of the treatment for mental illness. By the end, I was tired of watching it. The story telling was weak but performances were mostly good. It features a young Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in early dramatic roles. Don Cheadle was good.

okay movie

Very low budget and other than the star power, terrible acting

In an attempt to be "artsy", Manic comes off as just angry. At the center of the film is a bunch of angry kids, but they remain static throughout the duration and at the end...yup, still angry. So the actors did a fine (and in some instances great) job of playing really flat characters. The camerawork was totally unnecessary and amateurish. Hand-held work is great when it fits. It definitely made no sense with this material.