Product Details

• Actors: Richard Gere, Lena Olin, Anne Bancroft, Tom Irwin, Delroy Lindo
• Directors: Mike Figgis
• Writers: Eric Roth, Michael Cristofer
• Producers: Richard Gere, Alan Greisman, Debra Greenfield, Jerry A. Baerwitz
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: February 6, 1996
• Run Time: 114 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0800126033
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,114 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Richard Gere is pretty convincing as a severe manic-depressive whose episodes of euphoria sometimes find him dancing on a two-by-four far above the street or climbing onstage during a symphony performance to "conduct" the orchestra. When the pendulum swings the other way, he is practically catatonic. As a character study, this film by Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) has its truly compelling moments, but Mr. Jones isn't just a character study. Inexplicably, Figgis ushers in a preposterous romance between this poor fellow and his psychiatrist (Lena Olin), a relationship that is supposed to raise interesting ethical and dramatic issues. All it does is make one wonder what the devil the doctor is thinking of, and why Figgis felt it necessary to go down this lose-lose path. With Delroy Lindo in a nice part as a sympathetic construction worker who tries to help Gere's character. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker

The last time Richard Gere teamed up with the British director Mike Figgis, it went like a dream, albeit a scary one: they made the gripping "Internal Affairs," with Gere looking like a fetish object in his cop uniform. Now the magic is gone; he plays Mr. Jones-the man from nowhere, with his mind out of whack. He does crazy things-balancing on a roof beam, pushing aside a symphony conductor in the middle of a concert and trying to lead the orchestra himself-and is handed over for treatment to a psychiatrist (Lena Olin). You can feel a love affair coming, but it takes a long time, and then passes by; the rest of the movie is one long brood. As with "The Fisher King" or "Benny & Joon," there's something deeply insulting in the idea that mental instability is worth treasuring because it shakes the world up and gives the rest of us a buzz. The more fun Gere has with the part, the more it makes you wince. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent with many funny, touching moments, June 11, 2002

By 

lester williams (Live Oak, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr Jones [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I'm M-D so take that into consideration. Gere doesn't get enough credit for his acting because he has his own persona like John Wayne and critics can't get over this. His is an outstanding performance, trust me. Lena is my favorite actress to watch and listen to so factor that in also. There are just so many funny scenes in this movie! (And a few oddities; Gere is no carpenter--you hammer nails with your wrist, not your arm.) Fun moments: Gere quoting from Alice In Wonderland while playfully teasing Olin's stock psychologist demeanor, the dialogue in and around the car ride, the table tennis sequence is priceless, in fact all of the dialogue between these two excellent actors is worth watching. Two outstanding dramatic moments are 1)the point of Gere's discovery of Olin's prying into his past(and catching him in a chilling lie)and 2)the subsequent confrontation in the rain; this is Olin at her--or anyone's--best...economical and searing. The only major misfire in this movie is the sexual involvement...should have been platonic but this is easily one of Hollywood's best efforts from the 1990s. I bought it. Aaaahhh, Leeena!! Yum

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars love element took away from Gere's performance!, September 27, 2000

By 

Shelly (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr Jones [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Gere is great at portraying the extremes of bi-polar disorder, but the film is lacking in two major areas. One is the boring doctor/patient relationship and the other is the fact that bi-polar patients also exhibit weeks, months, and even years of "normal" behavior. I wish the film dealt more with the difficulties of having relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Bi-polar disorder is a serious one and medication is a must in order to balance yourself. The movie should have shown some of the struggles of finding the right medication for it.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful movie about a fascinating mental disorder, August 15, 2000

By 

"jcolean" (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr Jones [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I am a fan of Richard Gere, and I came across this gem a few years ago by word of mouth. This is a wonderful movie that tackles a thorny mental disorder that is receiving much attention today -- bi-polar, manic depressive disorder. It seems that bi-polar sufferers, despite their having a classified "mental disorder", are often exceptionaly creative, brilliant individuals. Many of our great artists, writers, painters, and musicians were (are) manic.

Mr. Gere does a fantastic job of portraying such a brilliant/unstable manic sufferer, and really brings the disorder, with all of its twists and turns, to life. The story is true to the struggles and realities of manic sufferers, and uses wonderful images of planes crashing overhead, tightrope walks, and grandiose symphonies that metaphorize what it must be link to be manic. The story veers only in its hollywood insistence on the highly unlikely patient-therapist romance.

Five stars for a compelling and original performance by Richard Gere, and a movie that brings to light the fascinating and devestating consequences of manic depression.