Stutz

Starring: Jonah Hill, Phil Stutz
Directed by: Jonah Hill
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Actor Jonah Hill interviews his therapist, Phil Stutz.

Review:

Tim: I really loved Jonah Hill's documentary about his therapist, Phil Stutz. My enjoyment and insights from the film may not completely match up with Hill's intentions, but this doesn't mean the movie isn't effective- it's incredibly good. I'm a big, big fan of this movie, just not exactly in the way they envisioned.

Hill expresses in the film that his desire to make this movie came from wanting to spread Phil Stutz's messages and approaches to life to a wide audience. This is admirable. Hill talks about how Stutz changed his life and he wants as many people as possible to benefit from those lessons. This movie has a clear "why". The only issue is that I'm not entirely sure Stutz's ideas will impact many people in this format. Sure, they are interesting. And I believe for some segment of the population, insightful. However, this movie doesn't replace actual therapy, which should be fully customized to fit the individuals needs of the person and where they are currently in their life. The lessons Stutz shares may be somewhat inspirational, but I doubt many will have actual impact in peoples' lives. The best the film can hope for is to show that therapy isn't something to be afraid or ashamed about. I wish the movie worked harder to deliver this message- not that Stutz has any particularly brilliant insights into life, but that more people should go to therapy. This would be a better world if that was the case. So, this probably seems a bit problematic- as a viewer, I wasn't completely sold on the main message of the movie, or I think a slightly wrong message was the one shared. You'd normally think that would make me dislike the film.

However, that's not the case. I loved so much about this movie. What I loved is the depiction of Jonah Hill and his relationship with Phil Stutz. As the movie progresses, you become more and more aware of how much these men love each other and value their relationship. It shows up in their banter, the way they look at each other, not just the words, but the way they speak to each other. Hill isn't afraid to admit that Stutz changed his life. We don't see enough relationships like this depicted between men. I loved their authentic displays of emotion. That's my big takeaway from this film. Hill captured a relationship he has with his therapist on film. That's beautiful and poignant, especially given Stutz's health issues. I sincerely hope Stutz has a long life, but Parkinson's is a terrible disease. Whatever the future holds, Hill beautifully shows the world this man's incredible life and captures the essence of their friendship. I think he'll look back on his career and this will be an absolute highlight.

This is really what makes the movie so entertaining. I loved watching the back-and-forth between these two men. Yes, some of the banter seems a bit scripted, but many others felt completely natural. I laughed continuously throughout this film. The movie also made me respect Jonah Hill significantly more. While he's not a completely open book, he displays great vulnerability throughout this film. I felt like I got to know him more as a person. Not surprisingly, he's incredibly funny. But, I was more impressed by some of the introspective work he's done in his life, as a result of his time with Phil Stutz. Hill follows one of the general rules of life- the more you're open and admit your shortcomings, the more people like and respect you. I definitely felt that throughout the film.

I really liked the simplistic sets depicted here. There's a wonderful moment where the movie turns- Hill admits some of the challenges he has with making the movie and the fake exterior is pulled back to reveal the truth beneath. Maybe this felt a little staged, but it's a brilliant moment in the film. It's where you get the sense that we're going to get real, dig down into the authentic, verses the facade. It was a great moment in this film.

I really loved the experience of watching Stutz and getting to know this man and seeing his relationship with Hill. I'm not completely sold on his approaches to life (not that they are bad at all, I truly believe some people will benefit from them), but that felt secondary to me. Maybe their goal was to "teach" people about how Stutz sees the world, but what they accomplished was far deeper. They showed how these two connected and care about each other. That's beautiful and far too rare. Stutz is one of the better documentaries I've seen in recent years. There's something human and very special about this film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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