Thanks to the guys from RedLetterMedia for turning me on to this one - I already knew it was around, but their review helped me decide it was something I really wanted to watch.
Mental health is a sensitive subject at the best of times - by its very definition, it involves psychological distress, and so no matter how a movie might handle it, somebody will always find the portrayals involved upsetting, if not outright offensive. Traditionally, this has been handled in various ways, generally delineated by genre; horror movies tend to pander to the worst fears of the masses and screw what anybody thinks, while wealthier studios making serious dramatic pieces tend to go down the route trodden by the likes of Shine and A Beautiful Mind, romanticising the ugliest truths in the hope there might be an Oscar or two in it for them.
Refreshingly, Welcome to Me is happy to take the middle ground, treating its protagonist Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig) with compassion even as it acknowledges the damage she inflicts on those around her. As naturally solipsistic as a toddler, Alice lives a quiet life claiming disability benefit and watching Oprah reruns until a lottery win leaves her richer to the tune of $86 million. When she's cut short during a TV slot celebrating her win after the network in question proves squeamish about broadcasting her description of her masturbation habits, she finds herself fired by sudden ambition, and Gabe Ruskin (Wes Bentley) - a kindly individual from a smaller network specialising in infomercials - is the perfect person to help bring her dreams to fruition.
This, then, is the genesis of the talk show Welcome to Me, a show by Alice Klieg, about Alice Klieg and featuring whatever Alice Klieg wants to talk about at the time. Sometimes it features reenactments from Alice's past and the slights others have inflicted on her, and sometimes she just takes a week or so and uses her training as a veterinary nurse to castrate a few dogs live on camera. Before long, the lawsuits are rolling in and her kindly therapist (Tim Robbins) has disowned her, and eventually even her sweet-natured best friend Gena (Linda Cardellini) is forced to walk away.
For the most part, this is cringe comedy of the highest order. Wiig is utterly believable, carrying the entire movie pretty much solo - top-notch support players like Cardellini, Joan Cusack and Alan Tudyk barely get a look in. It's beautifully shot, too, with lots of subtle compositional tricks that serve the story rather than providing flash for its own sake.
If I had one criticism, it would probably be that the film chickens out at the last minute, wanting to ensure Alice maintains our sympathy despite Wiig's performance having already ensured this. There's a sudden swerve towards maudlin sentiment that feels tacked on and awkward, and unfortunately it happens late enough for it to be one of the impressions that lingers. Still, as niggles go, this is a very minor one relating to a film that manages the tricky feat of being simultaneously uncomfortable, touching and very funny indeed.
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