 Fear, Anxiety and Depression is only available as an R-rated, full-screen VHS OOP edition. 1989, 84 mins. |
 Even Losers Fall In Love.
It Just Never Lasts. Anybody who's ever been in love knows that it's not easy. For Ira Ellis (Todd Solondz), it's impossible. Ira attracts trouble - the critics pan his plays, his friends gossip behind his back, his parents think he's a loser. Ira's life is as uncontrollable as his hair. Suddenly, there is Sharon. Sharon loves Ira blindly, but he foolishly spurns her for an outrageous, downtown performance artist named Junk. Junk dumps Ira before he can get her phone number. On the rebound, Ira seduces Janice, the girl his best friend Jack has recently deserted. Misery loves company, and Janice loves Ira for almost a week. When Jack reappears, Ira's on his own again. Then Sharon walks back into his life. Is there a chance for Sharon to forgive Ira? Can two hopeless neurotics find happiness together? At last Ira Ellis, an artist whose greatest achievement is suffering, discovers that love can be strange and wonderful, even if it's filled with Fear, Anxiety and Depression. |
 Despite Solondz' dismissive attitude towards his debut, Fear, Anxiety and Depression is a great and decidedly funny movie (though perhaps not quite up to later films, especially technically), which deserves to be seen, esp. by anyone who considers him/herself a Solondz fan. Since Solondz' biggest issue seems to have been creative control, perhaps a "director's cut" - though obviously too late to change many problems - would at least allow Solondz a closer representation of the film he wanted... certainly a proper (indeed, special edition) DVD release of this film is called for in any case. |
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