ecidnac I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, and though it is a favorite of mine I'm not sure I could adequately explain why. There are things that bother me about the movie, certainly, such as its main message of "all you need is love"/"love cures what ails you" and the worst closing credits song selection I think I've ever heard, yet I adore this movie and I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's charming. The characters are likable and most are fleshed out well enough to satisfy. The cast seems perfectly to their parts, especially Loren Dean, who makes you want to get on the couch and spill your secrets. It's far more of a heartwarming story than a true rom-com, mostly because there aren't any huge laughs, though it will make you smile and perhaps chuckle a few times. It's sweet without being overly saccharine, and doesn't have a perfectly tied-up happy ending. It's worth watching. Give it a try.

Sweet_Ophelia Dr. Mickey Mumford (Loren Dean) is a psychologist who ironically lives and works in the town of Mumford. Among his clientele are local chemist Henry Follett (Pruitt Taylor Vince) whose tasteful sexual fantasies have ruined his marriage, image-obsessed teen Nessa Watkins (Zooey Deschanel), kleptomaniac house-wife Althea Brockett (Mary McDonnell) and lonely billionaire Skip Skipperton (Jason Lee), whose electronics business keeps the town afloat. Mickey Mumford and his highly unorthodox techniques are extremely successful, but things begin to change and get complicated when he takes Sofie Crisp (Hope Davis) on board as a client and falls in love with her, while trying to cure her sleep deprivation. 'Mumford', written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (The Bodyguard, The Big Chill) is a surprisingly great film. Really, this is just a very well-told story. Dr. Mumford's curious cases pull the film along, but those fragmented stories really wouldn't have been enough for 99 minutes… so when the film's big twist comes mid-way, it's a smooth transition from examining Mumford's patients and their crises to watching the problems of the doctor himself, and the way's he tries to deal with them. Loren Dean, while not the typically charismatic protagonist, is oddly interesting as the humble and odd psychologist; and really does communicate a very relaxed persona, making it easy to see why people feel the need to confide in him. Zooey Deschanel is a great little secondary character, totally at ease and entertaining in her role as the off-beat misfit. My one complaint may be that the love story between Dr. Mumford and his patient Sofie isn't executed very well; there really isn't enough screen time given to the development of their budding feelings, and in fact most of their realizations about their feelings for one another come either off-screen or are explored individually, like when Dr. Mumford talks about his feelings for Sofie with patient and friend Skip Skipperton. Furthermore, there isn't much chemistry between Loren Dean and Hope Davis. Between Davis's sleep-deprived, baggy-eyed divorcée, Sofie and Dean's stony-calm Dr. Mumford; the romance is lackluster, at best. The film is only 99 minutes long, and I wish it was longer with more emphasis and development on the Dean/Davis romance. I really enjoyed this film and was very glad I found it while looking through Zooey Deschanel's filmography. It's just a shame not more people know about it.

gradyharp MUMFORD is a delicious little film from 1999 written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, Grand Canyon, The Accidental Tourist, Silverado, etc) who as usual poses some interesting questions as to our contemporary take on concepts. It is a quiet, beautifully acted ensemble film that wears well indeed.Mumford (the underused Loren Dean) is a man with a variegated past who settles into a little town by the name of Mumford, decides he will listen to people talk, be a sounding board for folks who are in need of communication in this basically non-communicative world, and becomes a 'Psychologist' in every sense of the word - the good sense. The manner in which he listens to the many people within the little town is mesmerizing and insightful and the citizens he encounters and assists are varied and beautifully sculpted vulnerable human beings. The fine cast includes Hope Davis, Jason Lee (in one his finest roles), Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Zooey Deschanel, Martin Short, David Paymer, Kevin Tighe, Ted Danson, Jason Ritter and even more.The dialogue is introspective, healing, edgy, and entertaining and the overall feeling left with the viewer at the end of the piece is one of wishing more 'Mumfords' would be around our neighborhoods - or rather that we all could become 'Mumfords' with a little conviction and concern for our fellow beings. This is a Kasdan concept movie that touches our hearts while it stimulates our brains. Grady Harp

jotix100 Lawrence Kasdan's "Mumford" is a film that could have been done by Frank Capra in another time. Mr. Kasdan created an enigmatic man, Dr. Mickey Mumford, who appears in the small town out of nowhere. He quickly goes to become an indispensable person in the community with his no-nonsense approach to psychiatry.Mumford touches the lives of the people that come to him seeking his advice. Among the people he helps, there is Sofie Crisp, a young woman suffering from depression and some sort of fatigue syndrome that renders her unfit to live her life to the fullest. With Mumford's help, she begins her daily walks as she gains confidence and opens up to see what is out there.The film opens with a black and white sequence that is a fantasy being played in the mind of Henry. We realize it's only his mind wandering as he is not capable of doing what he dreams about. There is also the young millionaire who is one of the richest men in the country because his firm produces modems for computers and who doesn't care to show his eccentric side for all to see.Mumford's cover is finally revealed when an episode of the television program "Unsolved Mysteries" in which he is showcased. The town of Mumford, instead of condemning him, rallies in its support of a man that has done more in his humble way to help the community in spite of his deceit."Mumford" is a delightful movie thanks to Loren Dean, who plays the title role. Mr. Dean does a wonderful work. Hope Davis is also a charming presence in the picture. The large supporting cast has some brilliant faces in it, Alfre Woodard, Jason Lee, Mary McDonnell, Pruitt Taylor Vance, Martin Short, Jane Adams, David Paymer, and Ted Danson, among them.The film's success belongs to Lawrence Kasdan whose brilliant take on a man who is a fake, but who has seen into the hearts of the people he has decided to settle in.