(USA, 110 min.)
Dir. Stuart Blumberg, Writ. Stuart Blumberg, Matt Winston
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Josh Gad, Alecia Moore, Joely Richardson, Patrick Fugit.

Thanks for Sharing
begins somewhere in the stages where Shame
left off. This film is more about the recovery process than the disease itself.
There are treatments for those addicted to sex, and laughter--honest, open laughter--might be another one. Additionally, it makes a noble effort to mute the stigma associated with sexual
addiction by showing that the condition is not entirely dissimilar to other
addictive drives that consume one’s life if they’re not kept in check, such as
excessive exercise and dieting. Thanks
for Sharing takes a much lighter approach to the topic than Shame does and handles the addiction
with comedic lightness. As Mark Ruffalo stated during the Q&A following the
film’s screening at TIFF, Thanks for
Sharing adopts the tone of having one foot on the banana peel and one foot
halfway into the grave. The situations in which the characters find themselves
are often perilous and squeamish, but Blumberg makes the road to recovery easy
by offering consistent laughs along the way.
The approach works because sex, as we all now, is funny.
Some people giggle like a schoolgirl whenever the three-letter word pops up in a
conversation. The little laughs elicited by the birds and the bees serve
another function, too: Sex makes people feel vulnerable, and laughter helps
people mask their insecurity. The comedy in Thanks
for Sharing works as much as a defense mechanism for the characters as it does
a tool to ease the comfort of the audience.
On the other hand, the comedy sometimes undercuts the
urgency of the tale, as one situation too many is played for laughs. The punch
line often hits below the belt instead of to the heart or head. Blumberg makes
a worthy debut regardless, though, for the topic is brave and the tone
balanced. The film features strong work from the ensemble, which includes a
surprisingly good turn from singer Pink (credited as Alecia Moore). Pink can
act! Blumberg also knows how to use the cinema to enhance his clever script, as
Thanks for Sharing makes smart use of
the musical score to convey the itch that picks at the addicts as they struggle
through their stages.
Thanks for Sharing
might not scratch the itch too deeply, but it certainly goes beyond the surface
when it comes to talking about sex. When it doesn’t itch, it tickles, and
tickles always provide a decent laugh.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Thanks for Sharing opens in Ottawa at The ByTowne Oct. 25.
Thanks for Sharing opens in Ottawa at The ByTowne Oct. 25.