Review of Prozac Nation (2003) by Ove I. D — 27 Jan 2008

The film in itself is good and Ricci and Lange are brilliant as a mother-daughter team who are both experts in emotional blackmail and all its consequences. However, if you're a fan of the book, you'll be disappointed.

The book left me feeling vacant and empty for days and was a powerful and compelling piece of writing about depression. There was an overriding sense in the book that depression was something innate in her, it would have always manifested itself even if her parents did get on and her dad had never left and all the other things that happen to her.

The film sadly views Lizzie as mainly a product of her upbringing and her surroundings, and the few times it tries to plumb the depths of her intensely different mind, it comes out with another bout of choleric bile aimed at her friends and family followed by a bout of self-loathing and guilt, whereas the book gives a much broader and deeper look at the ins and outs of depression.

If you're looking for a translation of the book into film, this isn't it. If your looking for an interesting film with decent performances, this will fill your evening nicely.