THE NEW SEASON, Loony lawyers try basket cases NASSAU Edition
It really is a loony bin, which leads us to wonder if "Head Cases" isn't actually a comedy. Other patients are played strictly for laughs. When the facility's shrink (Rockmond Dunbar, "Soul Food") pairs [Chris O'Donnell] with the manic Adam Goldberg like some Alcoh...
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| Published in | Newsday |
|---|---|
| Main Author | |
| Format | Newspaper Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Long Island, N.Y
Newsday LLC
14.09.2005
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| Edition | Combined editions |
| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | It really is a loony bin, which leads us to wonder if "Head Cases" isn't actually a comedy. Other patients are played strictly for laughs. When the facility's shrink (Rockmond Dunbar, "Soul Food") pairs [Chris O'Donnell] with the manic Adam Goldberg like some Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, it's clear neither of these guys has it together yet. Goldberg's "explosive disorder" manifests itself in toe-tapping tics, inappropriate outbursts, pants-dropping and, oh yeah, kidnapping and blackmail. A show can be a comedy/drama, of course, but it needs to get both tones just right and establish some sort of emotional consistency. "Head Cases" hops around from sentiment to silliness in somewhat the same random manner as the non sequitur thought process of Goldberg's two-bit lawyer. Just when you think it's striving for believability, along comes something like a by-the-way kidnapping to help our mismatched mental-mates win a court case. Oops, never mind. That's over. Huh? Too many moments feel false, overblown or contrived. |
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