Prozac Nation (2001)
Directed by Erik Skjoldbærg
Written by Galt Niederhoffer, Frank Deasy, & Larry Gross

This movie was famously shelved for years before being sort of tacitly released to DVD, which would lead you to conclude that it's unwatchable shite. And given the source material, you'd suspect that the film would be cold, pretentious, unlikeable, gimmicky, and lacking in wisdom.

Surprisingly, Prozac Nation is, for its genre, terrific. Granted, the same genre includes 95% of Lifetime Original Movies, but still. It may be that I am predisposed to view with benevolence any film that opens with Christina Ricci fully nude, but I found PN to be profoundly moving and utterly sincere. The performances are winning, the characters are well-drawn, and the story is told with a humilty I can't ascribe to Wurtzel's writing. Even Jessica Lange manages to stay within the lines.

It's no masterpiece, but Prozac Nation is the sort of little movie that some people will connect to in some deep and sacred places, and for that it has its place.

Review by Neddy Norwood