Numb (DVD)

Numb

I've always thought that Matthew Perry had the best movies out of the Friends cast. Even though it seems like he plays the same character in most of his films, his movies are always enjoyable. Most of the time, they are the perfect comedies to watch while snuggling up with a date. His most recent film titled Numb was released in May on DVD. This time, his neurosis is on spotlight as he plays Hudson Milbank, a man who's convinced that he's losing his mind. Hudson suffers from depersonalization disorder. What is that, you might ask? Here is a brief definition I found:

Depersonalization Disorder (DPD) is a disorder in which the sufferer is affected by persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization and/or derealization. The symptoms include a sense of automation, going through the motions of life but not experiencing it, feeling as though one is in a movie, feeling as though one is in a dream, feeling a disconnection from one's body, out-of-body experience, a detachment from one's body, environment and difficulty relating oneself to reality. For all, it is a rather disturbing illness, since many feel that indeed, they are living in a "dream".

That describes Hudson's character perfectly in the film. As he seeks help through a series of doctors, he finds that most are no help, and some are even as messed up as he is! He really finds that out when he starts sleeping with Dr. Blaine (Mary Steenburgen). But I’m getting way ahead of myself. Before that fling he has with Dr. Blaine, he dates the girl of his dreams. This girl named Sara seems like just what he needs to take his mind off of his disorder. However, their relationship gets rocky later on, especially when Hudson’s issues get in the way. You must stick with the film all the way through to see if he eventually works it out with Sara, or winds up losing the girl he really loves.

There is some real funny dialogue in this film, mostly coming from Matthew Perry’s character. I think he was exactly the right person to portray a guy suffering from this disorder. Amidst all the comedy, Numb takes seriously the pain and frustration that a lot of people with disorders like this go through. If you have ever felt like an outsider most of the time, or dealt with any type of issues like this, you’d probably relate to Hudson. There aren’t many films that can make you laugh while watching someone deal with issues just like the great “As Good As It Gets” did. But after watching Numb, I think it was able to pull off being another great comedy that takes itself seriously at the same time.