The plot and character details are outlined elsewhere. This film is a superficial view of deeply unhappy/superficial people whose reasons for deep unhappiness are unexplored and unresolved. Since we learn almost nothing about these people (and they certainly seem to learn nothing about themselves), it is, worst sin of all, boring.
The emotional center/hole of this film is Gerri, the counselor, whose inadequacy/ ineffectiveness is highlighted by an early scene with a potential patient, the actress Emelda Staunton, a working class person who presents with depression. After an introductory session, it seems highly unlikely that Staunton will ever return since Gerri makes no connection to her, which is the theme of the entire movie. (Notably for a real therapist, the first order of business besides making a connection is to determine Staunton's suicide risk, which seems considerable (she is asking for sleeping pills and suggesting that "sleep" is the answer for her problems. Avoiding the real larger problems is also a theme of this movie.) We then see Gerri as the enabler for the alcoholic Mary, a secretary at her work, who she has known for 20 years. They go out to drink after work occasionally where Mary's drinking is not subtle. It becomes apparent that Mary has had a series of spectacularly inappropriate failed romantic relationships (including one with a married man) and during the movie, an attempt at relationships with Gerri's son, 20 or so years her junior, and Tom's brother whose wife has just died. No effort is made in the movie to understand where this behavior comes from. Remarkably, Gerri only suggests therapy for these destructive behaviors after Mary's behavior threatens Gerri in her family. Other developments show Tom and Gerri don't really care for Mary at all and probably never have. It is the ultimate irony that it is Gerri who tells Mary she needs to take "responsibility for her actions" when it is Gerri who needs to take responsibility for her own actions.
Tom and Gerri's relationship is quite solid if smug (and is apparently the main draw for the movie as a whole) but in many ways is a cliché of male female roles, Tom being the technical sort and Gerri being in the helper professions. Tom gets away with being emotionally clueless. When asked by Gerri what to do with Mary, his reply is that if Gerri doesn't know, how could he. Tom's two brothers seem to be the logical extension of his clueless-ness. Ronnie is essentially catatonic and totally estranged from his only son, while another brother (who we only see briefly) is called a jerk even by Tom. There is no explanation for any of this.
Joe, the "perfect son" works as a lawyer for the poor where his condescension to his clients is equally striking. Joe and his new girlfriend Katie's relationship seems designed to parody his parents relationship. While there seems to be the implication of a close relationship of Joe with his parents, in fact, he kept the existence of his girlfriend from them for three months, suggesting a substantial distance (the girl friend had no problem telling her parents). His introduction of her to them is bizarre, having her literally jump out at them from behind a doorway, more or less the physical equivalent of springing her on them after three months. The parents take this entirely in stride and seem to think nothing of this, trivializing what they have been waiting for for who knows how long. We see no discussion among Tom and Gerri what this might mean for them as a family or how this makes them feel. This serves to emphasize the distance the film has from the actual characters.
Over and over again, Tom or Gerri ask "how are you" when it is completely obvious that the person to whom this is addressed is collapsing.
All in all, a series of poorly connected people with no insights or resolution. If that is what you want, here it is.
The emotional center/hole of this film is Gerri, the counselor, whose inadequacy/ ineffectiveness is highlighted by an early scene with a potential patient, the actress Emelda Staunton, a working class person who presents with depression. After an introductory session, it seems highly unlikely that Staunton will ever return since Gerri makes no connection to her, which is the theme of the entire movie. (Notably for a real therapist, the first order of business besides making a connection is to determine Staunton's suicide risk, which seems considerable (she is asking for sleeping pills and suggesting that "sleep" is the answer for her problems. Avoiding the real larger problems is also a theme of this movie.) We then see Gerri as the enabler for the alcoholic Mary, a secretary at her work, who she has known for 20 years. They go out to drink after work occasionally where Mary's drinking is not subtle. It becomes apparent that Mary has had a series of spectacularly inappropriate failed romantic relationships (including one with a married man) and during the movie, an attempt at relationships with Gerri's son, 20 or so years her junior, and Tom's brother whose wife has just died. No effort is made in the movie to understand where this behavior comes from. Remarkably, Gerri only suggests therapy for these destructive behaviors after Mary's behavior threatens Gerri in her family. Other developments show Tom and Gerri don't really care for Mary at all and probably never have. It is the ultimate irony that it is Gerri who tells Mary she needs to take "responsibility for her actions" when it is Gerri who needs to take responsibility for her own actions.
Tom and Gerri's relationship is quite solid if smug (and is apparently the main draw for the movie as a whole) but in many ways is a cliché of male female roles, Tom being the technical sort and Gerri being in the helper professions. Tom gets away with being emotionally clueless. When asked by Gerri what to do with Mary, his reply is that if Gerri doesn't know, how could he. Tom's two brothers seem to be the logical extension of his clueless-ness. Ronnie is essentially catatonic and totally estranged from his only son, while another brother (who we only see briefly) is called a jerk even by Tom. There is no explanation for any of this.
Joe, the "perfect son" works as a lawyer for the poor where his condescension to his clients is equally striking. Joe and his new girlfriend Katie's relationship seems designed to parody his parents relationship. While there seems to be the implication of a close relationship of Joe with his parents, in fact, he kept the existence of his girlfriend from them for three months, suggesting a substantial distance (the girl friend had no problem telling her parents). His introduction of her to them is bizarre, having her literally jump out at them from behind a doorway, more or less the physical equivalent of springing her on them after three months. The parents take this entirely in stride and seem to think nothing of this, trivializing what they have been waiting for for who knows how long. We see no discussion among Tom and Gerri what this might mean for them as a family or how this makes them feel. This serves to emphasize the distance the film has from the actual characters.
Over and over again, Tom or Gerri ask "how are you" when it is completely obvious that the person to whom this is addressed is collapsing.
All in all, a series of poorly connected people with no insights or resolution. If that is what you want, here it is.