Therapissed

[StevePulaski]

Therapissed (2010)
Directed by: Glenn Berggoetz

Rating: ★★

Dr. Mark Jenkins is quite possibly the worst therapist in the world. A good portion of his existence is in his cushioned office, which looks more like a makeshift study, where he sits listening to his insecure patients expound upon their personal or marital woes. While they expect a sincere conversation, Jenkins doodles on a notepad, making notes to himself about their current states. For example, in the case of a fragile young woman who is confessing some deep secrets in her life, Jenkins scribbles down something along the lines of, "nice rack" along with a crude illustration.

Jenkins' most prolific patients are Jason (Ben Whitehair) and Gia (Giovanna Leah), a young couple having a myriad of issues in their relationship. Some of their problems are real; others are conjured up by Jenkins twisting their words; at one point, Jenkins alleges that Gia is covering up for an affair she had when she suggested no such thing. In the case of Chet (nicely played by writer/director Glenn Berggoetz), a deeply fragile man whose perceptions of a hostile relationship with his father have curbed his progress as an adult, Jenkins uses cruel bullying tactics on the already sensitive soul. The only person his business doesn't work on is his wife, Eileen (Laurie Clemens), who has grown disgusted with his egotistical display of dominance, which is now starting to bleed into their marriage.

Glenn Berggoetz's cleverly titled Therapissed is essentially a 75 minute stageplay, existing primarily in Jenkins' office, and if not there, in his home. The plot is a loose one, largely defined by the information we get regarding Jason and Gia's relationship and the progress (or lack thereof) we see it make over the course of the film. Berggoetz, who directed The Worst Movie EVER!, and that's just the film's title, along with the amusing Auto Shop of Horrors, is an immensely creative soul with a true talent for devising a lovably absurd premise for a film. Not to mention, he finds ways of making his ideas come together on a shoestring budget. He's at his best when he finds ways to raise the stakes on his characters, building up a goofy idea that benefits from a lack of predictability, and then escalating the stakes with each passing scene. This technique was what made The Worst Movie EVER! thankfully not live up to its name and become something to appreciate.

Where Berggoetz could've made Jenkins, who Greg Nemer plays effectively, and his transformation into a more sinister version of himself wackier, he unfortunately lets the film become too stagnant, specifically around the halfway point. A gripe from me about Auto Shop of Horrors was its repetitious nature, but the pleasantly practical special effects and imaginative setups were a break from the expected tropes of horror-comedy hybrids. In Therapissed, broadly drawn caricatures talk endlessly and sometimes aimlessly, never becoming more than the sum of their very few parts in a film that fatally constrains them and its premise.

I remain convinced that Therapissed could've very well found life on-stage. It's a premise akin to that of David Ives' most charming works, and is at its best and brightest when it's flirting with a larger commentary on the commodification of self-help. A fun scene comes in around the half-hour mark, where Jenkins claims to Jason and Gia, upon the two playfully enjoying one another's company for a change, that marriage is not all "kicks, giggles, and 'sweaty eating'" before urging that they still have a lot of work to do to improve. "I had no idea we were so miserable," Jason says, sulking at the realization his therapist has come to. "Trust me," Jenkins demands, "I'm the expert here." This scene works doubly well as a disruption of narrative, which at this point had become a bit too predictable, as well as an indicator that Berggoetz knows this material works really well as a satire.

Therapissed has the framework in place to be a biting commentary, and Berggoetz erects a formula he is clearly comfortable working with for an extended period of time. But in its current state, it's a song with a chorus with under-developed verses.

Starring: Greg Nemer, Ben Whitehair, Giovanna Leah, Glenn Berggoetz, and Laurie Clemens. Directed by: Glenn Berggoetz.