The Sessions is all at once simplistic, sweet, charming, lifeless, and boring. The film's pace and characterizations are as paralyzed as its protagonist, barely registering much movement through the runtime, and save for some decent performances, isn't really anything worth remembering. It is one of those "based on a true story" movies that reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place- to escape the boredom and tedium of reality.
The film centers on Mark O'Brien (the always-wonderful John Hawkes), a man suffering from polio which renders him largely immobile. Despite this handicap, however, Mark still manages to earn a graduate degree and is an accomplished writer- because of his handicap, he is still a virgin, and vows to lose his virginity. That Hawkes was largely overlooked on the awards circuit this year is criminal- he vanishes inside of O'Brien, delivering a remarkable performance with little more than his facial expressions and his voice. It is his performance alone that carries the film, suffering from a woeful lack of a supporting cast, and sadly his is not enough to do it all.
Eager to lose his virginity, Mark turns to the church and Father Brennan for advice. These scenes should have been a little more poignant, especially given William H. Macy in the role, but he phones it in- he gives the priest almost no depth or characterization, turning him instead into rather ill-placed comic relief (Brennan's reactions to O'Brien's depictions of his therapy are at least chuckle-worthy, however). With seemingly few options, Mark seeks out a sex surrogate to teach him about his body and to help him lose his virginity.
Enter Helen Hunt as the surrogate Cheryl, in a wonderful performance that is nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. Hunt plays Cheryl as a strong but relatively vacant woman, going through the motions of life and marriage but definitely lacking for some kind of tangibility. Given this and her intimacy with Mark, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the two will end up falling for one another- Mark because of his naivety and inexperience, and Cheryl because of her loneliness and vulnerability (based on a true story, sprinkled with a touch of Hollywood).
Hunt truly delivers a wonderful performance, at least in parts. Her Boston accent wavers throughout the film, appearing and disappearing at will, and would have been better left out altogether. She also plays the role with a downright startling amount of nudity, and full-frontal nudity at that- while this is appropriate at least to some degree given her character, it becomes overkill after awhile, and leaves one wondering when on Earth Helen Hunt is going to put on some pants. It helps to better illustrate her vulnerability, true, but eventually, the audience gets the point.
This, ultimately, is the only real takeaway from this film. The Sessions has some great moments, but ultimately falls flat as a film and is relatively forgettable. Too little time is spent exploring any character that is not O'Brien, and the film suffers as a result. Scenes without him then become overlong and boring, since writer/director Ben Lewin gives the audience no reason to particularly care about them or the characters in them anyway. It is nothing profound, or moving, or Earth-shattering, but this is its point- it is the simple journey of one man to become a man, and against the odds he succeeds. It is tragic, then, that it is so disengaging.
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The film centers on Mark O'Brien (the always-wonderful John Hawkes), a man suffering from polio which renders him largely immobile. Despite this handicap, however, Mark still manages to earn a graduate degree and is an accomplished writer- because of his handicap, he is still a virgin, and vows to lose his virginity. That Hawkes was largely overlooked on the awards circuit this year is criminal- he vanishes inside of O'Brien, delivering a remarkable performance with little more than his facial expressions and his voice. It is his performance alone that carries the film, suffering from a woeful lack of a supporting cast, and sadly his is not enough to do it all.
Eager to lose his virginity, Mark turns to the church and Father Brennan for advice. These scenes should have been a little more poignant, especially given William H. Macy in the role, but he phones it in- he gives the priest almost no depth or characterization, turning him instead into rather ill-placed comic relief (Brennan's reactions to O'Brien's depictions of his therapy are at least chuckle-worthy, however). With seemingly few options, Mark seeks out a sex surrogate to teach him about his body and to help him lose his virginity.
Enter Helen Hunt as the surrogate Cheryl, in a wonderful performance that is nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. Hunt plays Cheryl as a strong but relatively vacant woman, going through the motions of life and marriage but definitely lacking for some kind of tangibility. Given this and her intimacy with Mark, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the two will end up falling for one another- Mark because of his naivety and inexperience, and Cheryl because of her loneliness and vulnerability (based on a true story, sprinkled with a touch of Hollywood).
Hunt truly delivers a wonderful performance, at least in parts. Her Boston accent wavers throughout the film, appearing and disappearing at will, and would have been better left out altogether. She also plays the role with a downright startling amount of nudity, and full-frontal nudity at that- while this is appropriate at least to some degree given her character, it becomes overkill after awhile, and leaves one wondering when on Earth Helen Hunt is going to put on some pants. It helps to better illustrate her vulnerability, true, but eventually, the audience gets the point.
This, ultimately, is the only real takeaway from this film. The Sessions has some great moments, but ultimately falls flat as a film and is relatively forgettable. Too little time is spent exploring any character that is not O'Brien, and the film suffers as a result. Scenes without him then become overlong and boring, since writer/director Ben Lewin gives the audience no reason to particularly care about them or the characters in them anyway. It is nothing profound, or moving, or Earth-shattering, but this is its point- it is the simple journey of one man to become a man, and against the odds he succeeds. It is tragic, then, that it is so disengaging.
Check out my profile for links to my other reviews!!!