Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

Appendix G: Films Illustrating Psychopathology 205
He is dramatic and flamboyant and threatens suicide
when things do not go his way.
Ladies Man, The (2000) Comedy Ψ
Tim Meadows plays a narcissistic talk-show host
and “player.” Spin-off of a successful Saturday
Night Live skit.
Ladykillers, The (2004) Comedy ΨΨ
Tom Hanks leads a group of thieves in a caper to
steal money from a casino by digging underground
from an oblivious, good-hearted, elderly woman.
Good portrayal of how people with antisocial personalities
can use language to manipulate. Directed
by the Coen Brothers.
Le Boucher (1969) Thriller ΨΨΨ
Claude Chabrol film in which a butcher who is also
a murderer commits suicide when the woman he
loves realizes he is a criminal.
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) Romance/Crime ΨΨ
Protagonist commits multiple murders, watches
her brother-in-law drown, and terminates her pregnancy
by throwing herself down a flight of stairs
with no sense of shame or remorse. Dated but
interesting portrayal of an antisocial personality.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate
Events (2004) Comedy/Drama ΨΨΨ
Jim Carrey plays a comical psychopath who adopts
multiple disguises in an attempt to inherit a family
fortune that rightfully belongs to three orphans
whose parents have died in a fire.
Levity (2003) Drama ΨΨΨ
Billy Bob Thornton plays a “recovered antisocial,”
who, after his release from prison, tries to make
amends with a family member (Holly Hunter) of a
boy he killed decades ago. Morgan Freeman plays
an antisocial preacher.
Lovelife (1997) Comedy ΨΨ
Film about a group of friends and their struggles
in relationships, many with symptoms of disorders
that prevent them from connecting—the
depressed intellectual, the dependant woman,
and the neurotic voyeur—but the standout is the
narcissist professor.
Mad Love (2002) ΨΨ
Spanish film about a princess who marries and
later becomes queen and is nicknamed “Joan
the Mad” because of her worries about her
philandering husband.
Man from Elysian Fields, The (2001) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
Married man (Andy Garcia) becomes an escort and
his life falls apart.
Man Who Cried, The (2000) Drama ΨΨ
Slow-moving film of a young woman (Christina
Ricci) who left a very poor Russian family years
ago to make it as a dancer in the theater. Sub-par
film with an all-star cast including Johnny Depp
(in another vagrant role), Cate Blanchett, and John
Turturro as a grandiose opera singer.
Man Who Wasn’t There, The (2001)
Drama ΨΨΨΨ
This Coen Brothers’ film noir is a fascinating character
analysis of Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton)
who is an aloof, taciturn, and unemotional barber
struggling to find purpose.
Marriage of Maria Braun, The (1978)
Drama/War ΨΨΨ
This Fassbinder film, an allegory about postwar
Germany, portrays the dehumanizing effects of war
and its aftermath as we watch the commercial success
and personal failures of Maria Braun. There is
an explosive finale.
Minus Man (1999) Drama ΨΨ
Owen Wilson stars as a charming, kind, drifting
serial killer. The film does not explain his behavior,
which he claims is spontaneous.
Monster (2004) Docudrama ΨΨΨΨ
Graphic, disturbing film based on the life of Aileen
Wuornos, a prostitute and drifter turned serial killer.
Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her powerful
performance as Wuornos.
Naked (1993) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
Fascinating story about an “existential antisocial,”
Johnny, wandering the streets of London exchanging
philosophical beliefs with various quirky characters.
Comedy, love, drama, and violence flow
throughout this film. Written and directed by
renowned British director Mike Leigh.
Odd Couple, The (1968) Comedy ΨΨΨ
Jack Lemmon is magnificent as the obsessivecompulsive
Felix Unger, who uses air freshener
and leaves notes on the pillow of housemate
Walter Matthau.
One Hour Photo (2002) ΨΨΨ
Robin Williams in a quirky, dramatic, and disturbing
role as the personality disordered, Sy the Photo
From: Wedding, D., Boyd, M.A., & Niemiec, R.M. Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology
© 2005 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers (www.hogrefe.com)