Mumford

Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, Mumford follows Loren Dean’s Dr. Mumford as he attempts to help a small town’s various residents, including Hope Davis’ Sofie Crisp, Zooey Deschanel’s Nessa Watkins, and Mary McDonnell’s Althea Brockett, with their assorted concerns and problems. Filmmaker Kasdan, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a deliberate yet pervasively pleasant endeavor that benefits from the top-notch efforts of its various performers, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the movie’s mostly episodic narrative isn’t, as a result, quite as erratic or problematic as the viewer might’ve initially feared – with the inherently compelling nature of Mumford’s encounters with his myriad of patients ensuring that the movie is, for much of its slightly overlong running time, completely and thoroughly watchable. And although certain characters and subplots are far more interesting (and engaging) than others (eg Mumford’s ongoing dealings with Jason Lee’s Skip Skipperton remain a highlight, to be sure), Mumford eventually does build towards a tremendously satisfying (and unexpectedly moving) climactic stretch that ensures it concludes on just about as positive a note as one could envision – which ultimately cements the picture’s place as an easygoing and entirely agreeable piece of work that ranks near the top of Kasdan’s solid filmography.

***1/2 out of ****