Thanks For Sharing
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Alecia Moore, Josh Gad
Directed by Stuart Blumberg
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi

[rating: 3/5]

In 2012 audiences were treated and confronted by an affecting yet uncomfortable drama about sex addiction in the form of Steve McQueen’s Shame. It appears the path has been paved for another take on the sex addiction affliction, this time as a dramatic-comedy (dramedy) helmed by co-writer and director Stuart Blumberg, tackling his feature directorial debut after an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of The Kids Are All Right. Will Thanks For Sharing be able to balance the comedy and drama of such a delicate subject matter or will the film falter under tonal inconsistency?

Thanks For Sharing follows three different converging story-lines of a group of people afflicted with sex addiction and how they manage to deal with this addiction in everyday life. The first, and somewhat ‘main’ story, follows Adam (Mark Ruffalo) who is the veritable poster-boy for a recovering sex addict. He doesn’t have a television or a laptop and even carries around a decade-old phone to avoid any temptation, he’s 5 years sober and is finally feeling he might be ready to tackle the dating scene. Enter Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow) a fit, charming woman that Adam meets at a painfully middle-upper class ‘gastro club’. Things start off smoothly but the relationship starts to get rocky as sex is brought into the equation along with some of Phoebe’s own issues. The second storyline follows Adam’s best friend and in-program mentor Mike (Tim Robbins), a father-figure all-round good guy and long time sex addiction sufferer, as his drug-addict son Danny (Patrick Fugit) comes back onto the scene claiming he’s clear of his addiction sans any help from a twelve step program.  Finally, there is new-comer Neil (Josh Gad) who has to overcome his struggles abandoning old habits and embracing the new sex (and masturbation) free lifestyle of the program. Luckily, fellow newcomer and free-spirit Dede (Alecia Moore aka Pink) is there for some mutually beneficial) emotional support.

Thanks For Sharing has quite a number of sometimes poignant and sometimes funny moments. It even briefly goes to a pretty dark and disturbing place. All of these moments, however effective they are on their own, never quite add up to an entirely consistent whole. While falling into the ‘dramedy’ category, it sits the fence a little too well never committing fully to laugh-out-loud funny or to tear-jerking drama. It just seems to fit uncomfortably between those two points, hardly ever braving to go too far into either direction. When it does eventually stray into darker territories, this transition is brief and slightly jarring, the segment standing out very definitely from the rest of the film. Considering the dual nature of the addict it could be considered effective but the moment was so brief that it never managed to gain the needed weight or momentum to be truly effective.

Despite being slightly tonally bland there is still a lot of good to be found here. It’s a pleasant, undemanding and entertaining little film with an ensemble cast of fine actors. Most notable, and most surprising, is Alecia Moore playing Dede as she holds her own against seasoned heavy weights such as Robbins, Ruffalo and Paltrow. In fact, the most enjoyable and affecting storyline of Thanks For Sharing belongs to Moore and Josh Gad, as they navigate the world of addiction together in a surprisingly touching manner.

While not a complete triumph, Stuart Blumberg still managed to craft a pleasant and somewhat entertaining ensemble movie that not so much tackles as nudges the topic of addiction and it’s effects on sufferers and those close to them. Check it out if you’re in the mood for an easy watch and some Ruffalo/Paltrow action or maybe if you just want to suss out Pink’s acting chops.