User Reviews

The movies traditional 'happy end' happens not in the end but is placed in the middle of the movie: Mr. Jones and Libbie fall in love with all what belongs to it. The psychiatrist Libbie Bowen crosses the line, seduced by the 'manic euphoric' (today: 'bipolar') Mr Jones. He pushes himself and the others he encounters, wherever he meets them beyond of beyond. The question is where and when is the healing moment for the person and for the others? Is it when kissing euphoric the girls in the street? Is it the 'consuming' wish to direct the orchestra as one likes Beethoven? when is the too much reached. When is the line crossed of the too-much of no return?

Mr. Jones: "I need my highs." At the mental hospital, he is cared for by the psychiatrist Libbie who finds herself being more than interested in him. Falling for him with: "Eyes wide shut"-open. Aware of what happens is wrong. Is the reason for her 'love fall' the disease (as psychiatrist)or as woman for this 'interesting' man? "Roger Ebert, October 8, 1993, hinted at the same, IMDb.

The similarity: The divorced Wallis Simpson was asked if she was in love with the Duke of Windsor or the man Edward?

We all experience difficulties. For some it develops to a traumatic situation. Ellen Ryan for him when she could not go on with him. As most of us in such a moment, she had not the unlimited strength: "She is dead" he tells Libbie. She searched, found her and talked to her. Married and two children.

To be high up on the roof. At the same time caught by the black nights, haunting him. To say it with J W von Goethe (1749-1832) 'Himmelhoch jauchzend - zu Tode betrübt'. The movie ends 'up there' on the rooftop. Libbie with him on the roof. Against her wish. Called to help. After her mistake she resigned. What is illness: "You are not sick, you have a sickness." Focused like this medicine can be a help. Mr Jones: "I am not ill. I am like this."

How does it end? Who takes the first step? Absolutely not Mr Jones as he thrives with these kind of games. She. Her responsibility. As staff falling in love with a patient and crossing the line as (they) she did is not only wrong but a case for the police. Libbie knows it, taking the consequences.

"I want to fly but I can't", he says. "Now you know" answers Libbie and he: "What do we now?" "A cup of coffee, defrag coffee" is her answer on top of the roof.

What will happen after the coffee and beyond the movie How will it be when Mr. Jones needs now and then to be on top. Can the psychiatrist Libbie be at his side - be and give the support he needs? And of course what they are for each other as man and woman?

In 'between' are seen other cases. One free-will-case ends tragic. Against the staffs advice a female patient is released home with her parents. Committed soon at home suicide.

Mr. Jones is about a man who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Another term for his diagnosis is manic-depressive disorder. He cycles between being ecstatic about life and going through depressive episodes. Richard Gere does an excellent job of portraying this diagnosis. In the beginning of the film, Mr. Jones is in one of his manic states, where he is high on life and thinks he can do anything. After convincing a contractor to give him a job building a roof, he decides that he is going to make like a plane and fly off of it. Luckily, a fellow construction worker manages to get him down from the roof and save his life.

After this, Mr. Jones gets incarcerated at a mental institution for evaluation. He meets the other main character of the film here, Dr. Elizabeth Bowen (Lena Olin). Dr. Bowen believes that Mr. Jones needs professional help and seeks to involuntarily commit him. During a hearing for his commitment, Jones craftily convinces a judge that he is just a happy go lucky guy, and the judge sets Jones free. The trial is a key scene because it not only shows how Jones is a very quick-witted person during his manic state, but, also, Dr. Bowen reviles that people with his condition first go through the manic state, but then fall into a very deep depression.

Sure enough, after one more incarceration, Jones goes through his depressive stage. This time he wanders around and doesn't know where he is. It seems like he doesn't care about life and very nearly gets killed when he steps out into traffic on a busy street. The good doctor finds Jones in this state after letting herself into his apartment. After this, Jones apparently voluntarily commits himself to the hospital where Dr. Bowen works and he undergoes counseling and drug treatment. It is reviled that Jones has previously been prescribed drugs for his condition but he "cannot live without his highs" even though it means going through his lows. Here the movie takes on aspects more like a love story rather than a movie about a mental illness.

In the end, Jones gets better and he and the doctor live happily ever after, presumably. Overall it was a good film that accurately portrays Bipolar disorder. One thing that the viewer should be aware of, though, is that it is a very inaccurate depiction of how the therapist-client relationship works. Many psychologists cringe at the thought of a therapist having relations with a client, as it is a violation of trust as well as a violation of the necessary distance between both the people in the relationship.

Mr. Jones is the story of a man diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and his relationship with a mental health physician who becomes involved in his case. The story begins during Mr. Jones manic phase and continues through an entire cycle of depression and then uplifting mania. Mr. Jones' Bipolar disorder completely disrupts his life. His manic impulses put his life at risk and his deep depression drives him to thoughts of suicide and hopelessness.

The only reason this movie isn't a ONE of TEN is it's correct portrayal of a psych hospital, the variety of patients that are hospitalized, and the highs and lows of Bipolar Disorder. Otherwise, it is completely unprofessional, stupid, predictable, and mind numbing. Further, both main characters should be locked up- one for grand theft and the other for professional misconduct.

I find it interesting that films are so often chastised for being "unrealistic," when realism is usually neither an attainable nor desirable goal in a film (for example, most films don't portray a story that unfolds within two hours or less, so montages or other devices are used). The main purpose of Mr. Jones (the film) is to tell the story of a man with bipolar disorder, and issues of "realism," for me, are then based on two questions. Firstly, did the film, and Richard Gere in particular, accurately portray the experiences of a person with bipolar disorder? Secondly, was his experience with mental heath care also fairly portrayed? As someone who has suffered from bipolar disorder for almost ten years, I can unequivocally say that the answer to both questions is yes. This film gives the best portrayal I have yet to see of the experiences of suffering from and being treated for bipolar disorder.

From the early scene where Mr. Jones is seen trying desperately to get a job, to the ending sequence where he tries to fly for the nth time over and gives up, Gere gives an outstanding and thoroughly believable performance of a man living with the intensity of bipolar disorder. Most poignant to me were the moments when he was able to realize just how much he was fooling himself about the disease, yet couldn't break away from it. In a lesser movie, the line "I'm an addict" would be a sarcastic reference to his medication; here, it is used as a perfect description of Jones' need for his manic highs.

In addition, I have yet to see as understanding a cinematic portrayal of mental health care in the United States. Even upon viewing it fifteen years later, this film deals so accurately with so many mental health care issues - the "revolving door" aspect of treating patients in current-day America, the moments of joy and pain one can experience even within a hospital (without the overdone dramatics of most films taking place in mental hospitals), and the efforts and sacrifices that doctors and staff make every day. Indeed, one of the most striking aspects of the film has to be the ease with which Gere walks in and out of treatment, a truly realistic situation, even more realistic because he has apparently been doing so for many years. The reality, despite what films would normally have us believe, is that it is much more likely in America today to be trapped in a "revolving door" for many years, never getting the treatment one really needs, than to be "wrongfully institutionalized" for many years. Unfortunately for "realism," the latter makes for much better high drama.

Speaking of high drama, let me turn to two slightly controversial aspects of the film: the love story aspect, and the ending. Personally, I don't find it "unrealistic" that Jones' doctor could fall in love with him - it certainly happens in real-life patient-doctor relationships, and it makes for an interesting twist. Others have criticized this part of the story as unnecessary, but I see no particular reason for its omission, because the film did give plenty of screen time to the story of Jones' disease and there was room for this extra plot angle. In addition, her responses to the developing relationship and her resignation were handled excellently and accurately - there was no deux ex machina that allowed her to stay at the hospital or keep treating him - and also allowed for a look at some of the ethical issues involved in mental heath care. My only issue with the love story was that it was a bit clichéd, but it didn't detract from the film much at all in my opinion.

As for the ending, a lot of people have had trouble with the fact that Jones either seems to be "cured" too easily, or that there was no climax where he actually fell off the house, or that in general it was too "neatly wrapped up." I would have to say that, knowing the bipolar disorder condition so personally, the ending was perfect. For sufferers of bipolar disorder, it can be so easy and quick to move from one mood to another, and the arrival of a loved one can easily "snap you out" of dangerous situations. The message that I took from the ending was not that he was "cured," or that he wasn't (there is no "cure" for bipolar disorder at this point). It was simply that he had faced another tough day as a sufferer of a disease, and that he now had a lover who was going to help him face more tough days. The end dialogue is particularly telling. His last line: "So now what?" Hers: "A cup of coffee. Decaf." They are moving on. Our view into their lives is over, but they will be fighting the battle for years to come. The rest of the movie has already told us that. A lesser script would have had some sort of "and then life became great" montage, which would have ruined this film. Here we are left with the understanding that the fight against the disease goes on, but that he now has someone who will aid in the fight and temper his moods as best she can, starting with sticking to decaf (which is more than just a joke if you have bipolar disorder).

If you don't mind a fairly standard Hollywood love story as part of the mix, you will find this an outstanding, moving, and educational film. I give it 9 out of 10 only because the love story goes on just a tad too long, and that time could have been used for more exploration of the illness and its treatment.

A man bikes to a construction site and tries to land a job. He is accepted on the job and he starts to work. The construction site is on the top of the roof of a wood framed house. This wood frame is like a skeleton. The site is very unique because it seems to be aligned with an airport runway meters ahead. As the aircraft descends, Mr. Jones feels excited and wants to be closer to the noise and the presence of the aircraft. In order to do this he climbs up onto the wood frame and attempts to get a little bit closer to the aircraft. He balances himself onto the top ledge of the house. When one of the other construction workers sees that Mr. Jones is climbing up on the top ledge of the house and walking to the front edge, this gets interpreted by the construction worker as being something that is highly dangerous and unsafe. A construction worker tries to bring Mr. Jones to safety by rescuing him.Mr. Jones does not seem to want to be rescued as he is happy standing on the edge and waiting for the aircraft to pass-by. In the meantime, the construction worker has since tied a rope around himself, followed Mr. Jones onto the unsafe ledge and followed him down the slim wood beam, while the aircraft zoomed overhead. The next scene, Mr. Jones is in restraints at a psychiatric hospital ward. What he experienced has been interpreted by the construction worker, the ambulance staff and psychiatrists as being medical, and is treated as such. The atmosphere in the film, throughout the first couple of scenes, went from total happiness to total despair (as seen through the eyes of Mr.Jones and through the visual storyline telling by Mike Figgis, the director of Mr. Jones).

As the film continues, there is a fine line between absolute happiness and complete emotional despair.

This film visually follows Mr. Jones. However this film does not seem to have a climax, a plot nor a strong message to the audience. Instead it attempts to portray the point of view on one individual and his unique journey through life, through the backdrop of the psychiatric system in the 1990's.

Written by Annuska Victoria BC Canada

This movie was a decent movie. I understood the whole approach behind it etc. but I actually got quite annoyed at the leading lady. I do not care what anyone says, her helping him was not genuine in any way.

Here it is, a sick man who needs help. She knows he needs help and yet the entire time she's secretly (though quite honestly it was quite obvious from the start, even the other doctor noticed and this was only the second time she was meeting Mr. Jones) hoping to be pounded out by Mr. Jones to the point where she violates his privacy without just cause tsk tsk tsk.

Both leading actors played their roles well, Richard is sexy as always and I think if Mr. Jones was not so relatable to my life I would have enjoyed it a bit more...or a bit less; I'm not sure.

Mr. Jones: "Give me this. This first day, I work for free. I give it to you, its a gift. Second day, you pay me for two days. Third day, I have your job."

A little gem of a movie. Yes it's subject matter (Bi-polarism and mental illness, and what not) are a tragic and sad theme. But that is why we watch and we learn sometimes from movies.

Richard Gere shines as Mr.Jones. he reminds me of the character 'Jesse Lujack' he played in his movie Breathless(1983). Same hyped up energy.He still looks sexy enough for you as the viewer to believe that a woman doctor or woman bank cashier would risk their jobs and sanity for him. Lena Olin is good also as the doctor treating Gere and falls for his crazy charms. Anne Bancroft did an OK turn as Lena's fellow doctor and superior ,Dr. Catherine Holland . Delroy Lindo had a wonderful turn as Howard, the family man who wants to help Jones by giving him friendship. Lauren Tom does a credible job as the ill-fated and mentally unstable patient Amanda Chang. Ana Maria Horsford( from'Friday' fame) has a basically nice cameo as a judge. Thomas Mikal Ford (Tommy from Martin fame) also has a nice bit as a mentally ill patient who can be violent. And last but not least, comic character actor Taylor Negron(Easy Money's Julio)has a nice bit also as a helpless victim of Jones, when said Jones just steals his motorcycle!

Actors that got 'wasted' for me were great character actors Sal Lopez(American me) and Bill Moseley(The Devil's Rejects) and Valente Rodriguez(The George Lopez Show) and last but not least,Lucinda Jenny(Rain Man). What I mean by wasted is that their roles were so minimal and inconsequential that I did not see them though they are listed in the credits. What a shame,good talent put to waste.

But on a different note and a nice uncredited cameo bit was done by none other than , Bill Pullman as the Construction Site Foreman who is another victim of Jones who falls for his 'charm' and gives a him job(not a good idea).

All in all, one of my favorites. Check it out!