The condition portrayed in the movie is a real one and a rare one - BIID - Body Integrity Identity Disorder - a disorder in which otherwise healthy individuals feel that they are meant to be disabled, each in a very specific way.The main character's difficulties in dealing with this deep desire and disclosing this to his wife are difficulties that real people with BIID also face. I haven't seen many movies with a BIID theme, but compared to "Quid Pro Quo" which may be a more entertaining movie, this movie is more true to the reality of BIID.For me it was definitely a drama, not a comedy - that's not to say there is no humor. Feeling that the true you is arm-less and not achieving this arm-less state means continuing to live a lie and trying to work through this without devastating those close to you is the stuff of drama, not comedy. Despite the good acting and important content, I can see how this is not a movie for everyone. If you have an interest in BIID, I would definitely recommend it.

OK, not a horrible movie, not a fantastic movie but certainly not a waste of time as some have said. I watched this movie having read the three previous reviews: two bad and one good. So I did not expect much. But I am glad that I stuck it out. Independent films give writers and directors the chance to explore topics that would never make it in the mainstream, and that is what this movie is all about. Quirky characters with interesting real dialog. Very unusual plot idea. A very touching conclusion that was the definition of true love for me. I find it to be a quiet little movie that explored a lot of human flaws and issues in a very short period of time. The doctor's assistant is my favorite character, along with the completely self-absorbed mother.

Before watching I thought armless was going to surprise me pleasantly with a quite original script. Unfortunately I was half wrong. I was surprised, but I had far from a pleasant experience. The movie started boring, kept on being boring and ended boring.The 'story' could've been far more interesting if there was a real reason for John to want to cut of his arms. Now the reason is lame, as is his constant "you are disgusted with me, aren't you?". A free tip: if you have to ask someone constantly if you are something negative you probably are! Asking so often John gets quite annoying too.The movie really had nothing in it and none of the actors seemed to rise above this sorry excuse of a movie. There is nothing you get from this movie, it's no fun, it has no good actors and basically no reason to watch. I made the mistake to do watch it and would not advise anyone to do the same. Be wise and let this one pass.

Sometimes at Sundance you hit the occasional film that is truly horrid. Armless is one of those rare awful films that sneak into Sundance from time to time.From a dull and lackluster plot to boring characters, "Armless" did not deliver on any front at all. The screenplay is poorly written, disjoint and lacking a story that keeps the audience interested. As a comedy it fails at making the audience laugh or even smile.John and his desire to cut off his arms earned a few laughs early on in the show, but as the film went on, the audience tired of the character and his repetitive lines as well as those of his wife. By the end all in the theater were just glad it was over. I had the misfortune of viewing this film at Sundance 2010 and as we exited the theater the comments from the movie goers were almost a universal, "what a waste of time". My advice if you see "Armless" being shown is to run the other way.