Jimmy P. is a buddy-therapy film,
belonging in the extremely small sub-genre of films that would also include Good Will Hunting and Antwone Fisher. That the narrative and
characters are borrowed from real-life events is almost disappointing, because
of how little actually happens within the narrative. Even the friendship
between the two leads feels glossed over, which is odd considering the plot
contains little other than their sessions together. Everyone does their job
well. The direction from Arnaud Desplechin (A
Christmas Tale) is competent, the acting by Benicio Del Toro is
appropriately soulful, and Mathieu Amalric brings buoyancy to his role despite
being cast against type. With all of these talented elements, Jimmy P. still never manages to blend
into a complete package.
The film follows
the mysterious unexplained medical condition of World War II veteran and Native
American Blackfoot Jimmy Picard (Del Toro). Today his ailments might easily be
diagnosed as post-traumatic stress, but at the time it was somewhat of a
mystery. Despite physical symptoms, the doctors are not able to find anything
medically wrong with Jimmy, bringing in French anthropologist and Native
American researcher Georges Devereux (Amalric) to help find a psychological
explanation for his suffering.
Each of the
individual scenes in Jimmy P. showcases some intelligent writing and competent
acting, but there is no natural progression to show the healing process. Each
of the scenes feel disjointed in grand scheme of the plot, never providing any
direction for the narrative of the film. We are left with a series of
individual therapy sessions which are intriguing, but a film that feels
ultimately pointless. The difficulty with finding a way to show mental improvement
over time is ultimately the aspect of the storyline which Desplechin never
manages to convey properly.
The DVD includes
a making-of featurette, along with some interviews and the theatrical trailer.
Entertainment Value:
5.5/10
Quality of Filmmaking:
7/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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