Thanks for Sharing

This article is about the film. For the Farscape episode, see List of Farscape episodes#Season 3 (2001–2002).
Thanks for Sharing

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stuart Blumberg
Produced by
  • William Migliore
  • David Koplan
  • Leslie Urdang
  • Dean Vanech
  • Miranda de Pencier
Written by Stuart Blumberg
Matt Winston
Starring
Music by Christopher Lennertz
Cinematography Yaron Orbach
Edited by Anne McCabe
Production
company
Olympus Pictures
Class 5 Films
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release dates
  • September 6, 2012 (2012-09-06) (TIFF)
  • September 20, 2013 (2013-09-20)
Running time
 112 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Box office $1,065,881[2]

Thanks for Sharing is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stuart Blumberg, from a screenplay written by Blumberg and Matt Winston. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, and Alecia Moore with supporting roles from Patrick Fugit, Carol Kane, Michaela Watkins, and Isiah Whitlock, Jr.

The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews,[3] and was released in the United States a year later.[4]

Plot

Set in New York City, Thanks for Sharing centers around three people undergoing a 12-step process to recover from their sexual addiction.

Adam (Mark Ruffalo) walks along the streets of New York, tempted to have sex by various advertisements and women on his way to work. Neil (Josh Gad) purposely grinds against a stranger in a train on the way to attend a sex addiction meeting. Mike (Tim Robbins) is a married recovering sex addict who is the leader of the addiction group. He sponsors Adam, who is also a recovering sex addict who hasn't had sex in five years, Adam sponsors Neil. They are all at the sex addiction meeting, talking about their progress. Adam proclaims he's been 'sober' for five years, and Neil makes jokes and later admits he is only there because the court has forced him to be there. He goes back to masturbating the same night, and lies about his 1 month sober to the addiction group.

Adam meets Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow) at a 'bug party' and they go out on a date. She reveals straight away that she had breast cancer, and later says she would never date an addict again after her last boyfriend who was an alcoholic, causing Adam to not admit to his sex addiction. They begin a relationship. Dede (Alecia Moore AKA Pink) joins the sex addiction meetings, she is the only woman in the group, and admits to being a sex addict from a very young age. Neil starts out as a doctor who is addicted to masturbating, but is caught secretly filming under the skirt of his boss, and is fired, and loses the job he has dreamed of since childhood. He then begins to take the meetings more seriously, and admits he has a problem. Meanwhile, Mike's son Danny (Patrick Fugit), a recovering drug addict, has returned home and is attempting to make amends to Mike and his mother Katie (Joely Richardson).

Phoebe eventually finds out about Adam's sex addiction when finding an addiction token in his pocket the morning after sleeping with him. She takes some time away from him, but eventually agrees to continue their relationship. Meanwhile, Neil and Dede have become friends and have become attracted to each other after Neil talked her out of having sex with her abusive ex-boyfriend, and go to a 'free dance' together and come close to kissing, but don't. At the same time, while Mike has been getting on better and better with his son Danny who is now living with his parents again building a pond in the back yard, they get into a fight when Mike assumes Danny stole his mother's pills. Danny reveals that Mike gave Katie Hepatitis C, and was also abusive to him at a young age (which may be why Danny is a drug addict). Mike slaps Danny, Danny attacks Mike and knocks over Katie, then realizing what he has done, panics and runs out of the house.

Meanwhile, Phoebe, who has told Adam she is a 'very sexual person' has become frustrated and concerned being in a relationship with Adam, and breaks it off after they have a fight. Adam goes back to masturbating, and sleeps with a prostitute. Dede comes over to Neil's place, and helps him clean up his house and burns his porn. She admits she's never been 'just friends' with a guy before. Mike finds his wife Katie's pills, and realizes Danny never stole them after all. Katie gets upset at Mike, because he "always has to be right". Mike, also upset, storms out of the house to go find Danny. While he is out, Katie calls him to tell him Danny is in the hospital after a DUI. Mike hugs his son in the hospital, who turns out to have been sober for the past 8 months. Adam invites his ex-girlfriend Becky (Emily Meade) over, and as they start out by reenacting her daddy issues, she then wants Adam to slap her. When he refuses, she breaks down, locks herself in the bathroom and attempts to commit suicide. Neil takes the train to get over to Adam's and breaks down his bathroom door. Adam goes back to being sober, starts again, and goes back to Phoebe, who admits she too is not perfect. Neil confronts his over-sexual mother (Carol Kane), and all the addicts celebrate being and staying sober.

Cast

Reception

Thanks for Sharing was met with mixed reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 50% (based on 109 reviews)[5] and a Metacritic score of 54 out of 100, based on 38 reviews, indicating "Mixed or average reviews".[6]

Richard Roeper gave the movie a largely positive review, saying "First-time director Blumberg does a fine job and makes some brave choices."[7] Laremy Legel of Film.com was among the most critical, giving the film a D+, and commenting that it "can't quite find its footing as either a drama or a comedy, and near the end it's actively sliding off the rails".[8] Nigel Barrington of the Daily Chronicle also criticized the film heavily, dubbing it First World Problems: The Movie. Otherwise, Alecia Moore's role was praised by critics. Dan Callahan writes about her performance saying "Of all the cast here, the least experienced is the pop singer Pink, yet she does the best acting in the film: natural, a little harsh, a little unstable. Pink, like Macy Gray in her Lee Daniels movie roles, knows instinctively how to behave on camera by just pretending that the camera isn’t there.”[9] Sandy Schaefer praised the film, arguing that "the good elements outweigh the bad in Thanks for Sharing and the final result is a commendable examination of addiction, sex and the nature of grown-up relationships (among other issues that are rarely black and white)."[10]

References

External links

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