get to see the primary movie poster, because it gives away the ending. I will tell you Mumford is a fabulous, quiet little comedy, and you should go see it as soon as you are done reading this review. Other reviews of this film are not recommended.
Written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Mumford is set in the late 1990s, in the small town of Mumford. The main character is Dr. Mumford, a recent arrival. You'll learn more about the name similarity when you see the movie. Mumford is a psychologist who has quickly become very well-liked among his growing clientele. Played to perfection by Loren Dean, Doc Mumford maintains a concerned, sincere demeanor while listening to his clients and offering succinct advice. Quite a change from his role as spoiled and crazed movie star he played in Starstruck (a.k.a. Starf***er for some reason).
The supporting actors must have loved to sink their teeth into these roles. Alfre Woodard plays Doc's neighbor Lily, who runs a diner and speaks Japanese. Martin Short is hilarious as a lawyer whom Doc Mumford refuses to treat. Hope Davis has chronic fatigue syndrome. Mary McDonnell is seeing Doc because her teenage kids told her to get help or else. When Doc goes to her house for dinner, you find out what her problem is, and you are treated to Ted Danson as her high-powered quick-talking typical asshole husband--he is brilliant in the part. Pruitt Taylor Vince as the town pharmacist shares his elaborate sexual fantasies with Doc, and they all sound like they came straight from the 50s, with heaving bosoms and muscled men with dark good looks.
Jason Lee plays Skip Skipperton, a charming and laid-back skateboarding twentysomething whose company makes 23% of the world's modems. Skip knows it would look bad for the company's stock as well as worry the townspeople (most of whom work for him in some way or another) if he should start going to see a shrink, so he works out a situation in which he and Doc meet while playing catch or having a beer. Not surprisingly, they become friends for real. Skip is an eccentric, which is fun to see, and in playing him Lee gets to show off his skateboarding skills throughout the film (he was a pro skateboarder at age 18), gleefully zipping among cars, up curbs and down stairs.
The story unfolds nicely, with most of the humor coming in as off-hand comments or subtle, low-key remarks. I got the feeling Kasdan expected his viewers to have a brain. In that respect, Mumford is reminiscent of the Big Chill, which Kasdan also wrote and directed. He's got a knack for pulling off very natural dialogue. Some of the finest came from Mary McDonnell's kids (played by Jason Ritter and Elizabeth Moss) when Doc visits for dinner and they tell him just exactly what is going on with their mother.
Filmed entirely in Sonoma and Napa counties, amazingly this film makes no reference to wine. Instead we are treated to lush countryside and small-town quaintness. It wasn't entirely perfect: the film's nadir was the scene in which a plethora of famous brand names was mentioned, and some logos displayed, in what could only have been a ridiculously gratuitous attempt at product placement The scene is thankfully brief.
Yeah, sure, the ending is no shocker. But it is just what you want.
j.