Addiction is a disease, as Adam (Mark Ruffalo, “The Avengers”) says in the new film “Thanks for Sharing,” the dramedy debut by first time director Stuart Blumberg.
“Thanks for Sharing” juggles three storylines, all connected through the thread that the characters are attendees of a sex addiction recovery group.
Adam (Ruffalo), has been sober for five years, relying on prayer and an absence of both a television and computer in his home to not give into temptation. But when he meets Phoebe (Gwenyth Paltrow, “Iron Man 3”), and she tells him that she refuses to date addicts, former or not, he struggles to keep his addiction a secret.
Meanwhile, Adam’s sponsor for Sex Addicts Anonymous, Mike (Tim Robbins, “The Shawshank Redemption”), both a former sex addict and alcoholic, tries to connect with his estranged former delinquent son Danny (Patrick Fugit, “Almost Famous”) when he literally sneaks back into his family life.
Finally, Adam sponsors Neil (Josh Gad, “Jobs”) who tries to get his life together after being fired from his job as a doctor through forming a platonic friendship with fellow recovering addict Dede (Alecia “P!nk” Moore in a surprisingly dramatic role), who can only connect with men through sex.
The film deals with the problem of sex addiction, emphasized by frequent masturbation, nymphomania, or sex without any real emotional connection. And as the film chronicles, addiction can be incredibly hard to overcome.
“Thanks for Sharing,” with its closeups and limited range of locations, seems skewed toward the melodramatic, especially in the conflicts between Mike and Danny, in which Mike learns that he may not always be right about everything. Toward the end, Adam nearly reverts back to his philandering ways after a temporary break up with Phoebe.
However, the film’s struggle to define itself as either drama or comedy hurts its credibility as an examination of an often misunderstood disease, but not enough so that it falls into rom-com territory.
It’s certainly no “When Harry Met Sally,” but it’s certainly better than the number of Gerard Butler/Katherine Heigl movies being churned out.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
