Lovesick

Directed by Marshall Brickman, Lovesick follows a psychiatrist (Dudley Moore’s Saul Benjamin) as he begins having imaginary conversations with Sigmund Freud (Alec Guinness) after falling for a patient (Elizabeth McGovern’s Chloe). Filmmaker Brickman, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a sluggish and mostly underwhelming endeavor that contains little in the way of compelling attributes or forward momentum, and there’s little doubt, ultimately, that the picture’s downfall is exacerbated by a recurring emphasis on comedic set-pieces that fall hopelessly (and palpably) flat – with the almost total lack of laughs paving the way for a tiresome, interminable midsection. And while the picture benefits from its appealing shot-in-NYC visuals and assortment of likeable periphery performers (including David Strathairn, John Huston, and Ron Silver), Lovesick, which admittedly does improve slightly as it progresses into a less lighthearted third act, primarily comes off as a misfire that squanders the affable efforts of its charismatic leads.

** out of ****