I will admit to some trepidation upon entering the theater given Ian Holm’s last outing as a psychiatrist in “Garden State” which provided for some overlong, draining moments, as well as the general predominance of the psychiatric couch used as entertainment fodder these days, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But lo and behold, not only do we have an accurate, engaging psychoanalytic session, but Holm steps up with a completely unique character, ready to kick serious mental ass. Dr. Morales is not a passive analyst, nor a positive affirmation helper- this is a dyed in the wool, old country Freudian scholar. He goes to work on Jake with a vengeance, sparing no rod nor spoiling his patient with fluffy anecdotes and coddling. What keeps him sympathetic is his obvious and palpable humanism, expressing great love for the human condition and indeed, a restrained but genuine care and concern for his patient, just when one might write him off as an intellectual terror. The moral of my doubt: Never underestimate Ian Holm’s capacity for brilliance. He’ll only pull another great performance out of his hat and make you look like a moron for doubting him. This is a phenomenal, sharp bit of acting from a master.
