Review of Mr. Jones (1993) by Esteban G — 02 Oct 2009

Mr. Jones is all about Richard Gere. The rest of the actors, the story, and the dialogue are not very memorable at all, but I found Richard Gere s performance truly fantastic and memorable. His character suffers from manic depressive disorder and it was probably a very difficult part to play, but Gere absolutely nails it. He was so fun to watch on screen when he played the extrovert. He talks to every stranger he meets, he just has such a great personality and can pick up any girl he runs into. He is just unstoppable, he interrupts the director at an orchestra, and he has dreams of flying so he walks through the top of construction homes. During some moments he has suicidal impulses, and then at other moments he feels very depressed and is so timid and doesnt want to talk to anyone. These changes of character could have been a tough task for other actors, but Gere is great at going through every one of these phases. He is extremely funny and likeable when he plays the energetic and life loving character. I think he was inspired in Robin Williams during those scenes, so funny.

These scenes are the high point of the movie, which switches its genre at the same time that Mr. Jones (Gere) switches his mood. It goes from comedy to drama from one moment to the other and completely depends on Gere and his performance. I wasnt convinced by Lena Olins performance as the psychiatrist who falls in love with Mr. Jones and has an inappropriate relationship with him. The main point of this movie is not as much as their relationship as it is facing the disease and confronting it. During the high points of Jones life he lets his inner kid out and he is just more interesting than any other normal person. In those moments he is truly enviable. But then when he goes into his depression stages you feel sorry for him and really understand that he needs help. The movie will have you changing moods just like Jones does.

I guess the only other thing that stands out in this movie is the performance by Delroy Lindo who seems to be very concerned for his friend and is always willing to give him a lending hand and helping him confront the sickness. There is nothing else that is worth pointing out about this movie except the character that Gere creates. The psychological aspect is explored at some points, but the ending really felt kind of open-ended and an easy way out to close the movie. I guess you cant explore the psychological aspect as much in a two hour period, but Gere s performance is what stands out in this movie and makes it endearing and likeable.