Starring Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by Stuart Blumberg
Addiction comedies can be tricky; struggling with personal demons is typically tough terrain in which to find humour and throwing in some romantic entanglements can further dilute the weighty material.
Stuart Blumbergs Thanks For Sharing is a mostly effective yarn that, while sweet and funny, doesnt have a truly lasting effect.
The plot focuses on three sex addicts in group therapy, each with a distinct story to tell Mark Ruffalo is a bachelor facing one hell of a dry spell, Tim Robbins is a family man whose son has his own history of impulse-control issues and Josh Gad plays an ER doctor clearly in need of the most help.
The characters are likeable enough, breezing through the dialogue with cleverness and care. Credit should also be given to the strong central female players, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joely Richardson and Alecia Moore (aka pop star Pink).
The film is serious when it needs to be but borders on the melodramatic at times, and is genuinely funny but loses points for cashing in on Gads physical comedy as he is sometimes reduced to simple fat jokes. The script succeeds in making a sensitive and often fiercely private issue accessible to mainstream audiences, hopefully tearing down some of the stigma associated with such behaviour, but also strives to cover too many issues such as alcohol and drug addiction.
Thanks For Sharing could have benefited from a simpler approach to really hone in on its subject matter but is saved by some charismatic performances.
