Mr. Jones: "Give me this. This first day, I work for free. I give it to you, its a gift. Second day, you pay me for two days. Third day, I have your job."A little gem of a movie. Yes it's subject matter (Bi-polarism and mental illness, and what not) are a tragic and sad theme. But that is why we watch and we learn sometimes from movies.Richard Gere shines as Mr.Jones. he reminds me of the character 'Jesse Lujack' he played in his movie Breathless(1983). Same hyped up energy.He still looks sexy enough for you as the viewer to believe that a woman doctor or woman bank cashier would risk their jobs and sanity for him. Lena Olin is good also as the doctor treating Gere and falls for his crazy charms. Anne Bancroft did an OK turn as Lena's fellow doctor and superior ,Dr. Catherine Holland . Delroy Lindo had a wonderful turn as Howard, the family man who wants to help Jones by giving him friendship. Lauren Tom does a credible job as the ill-fated and mentally unstable patient Amanda Chang. Ana Maria Horsford( from'Friday' fame) has a basically nice cameo as a judge. Thomas Mikal Ford (Tommy from Martin fame) also has a nice bit as a mentally ill patient who can be violent. And last but not least, comic character actor Taylor Negron(Easy Money's Julio)has a nice bit also as a helpless victim of Jones, when said Jones just steals his motorcycle!Actors that got 'wasted' for me were great character actors Sal Lopez(American me) and Bill Moseley(The Devil's Rejects) and Valente Rodriguez(The George Lopez Show) and last but not least,Lucinda Jenny(Rain Man). What I mean by wasted is that their roles were so minimal and inconsequential that I did not see them though they are listed in the credits. What a shame,good talent put to waste.But on a different note and a nice uncredited cameo bit was done by none other than , Bill Pullman as the Construction Site Foreman who is another victim of Jones who falls for his 'charm' and gives a him job(not a good idea).All in all, one of my favorites. Check it out!

With a burst of pop-rock music and Richard Gere peddling happily away on his bicycle down city streets, "Mr. Jones" deceptively begins as an upbeat character study (in fact, "Flashdance...What a Feelin'" would not be out of place here). Too bad then it's just a sunny preamble to the meat and potatoes of the story: a bipolar depressive acts recklessly until he is finally institutionalized. There's a lady psychiatrist who is drawn to him (she's emotionally vulnerable due to a recent break-up), a sassy bank teller who is introduced for no other purpose than to give Richard a pretty date, a trip to a piano store where Gere tickles the ivories...but what is "Mr. Jones" about, at its core? Not even director Mike Figgis appears to know, following manic Gere randomly around town and then to a friend's house for dinner (where all the polite, happy children bow their heads in thankfulness). This is not an exercise in catharsis; Figgis wants to earn points with us through little acts of humility and false emotion--not hard-hitting realism. He doesn't have anything to gain with this picture, not even dramatically once Gere hits the wall and realizes he needs medical help. No one speaks of the financial obligations the central character is under by getting so much hands-on treatment and medication, while father-of-seven Delroy Lindo thinks nothing of slipping Gere some friendly cash (with all those hungry kids at home, one might think Gere should at least refuse the money on principle and not out of pride). Gere (also one of the producers) is up to the challenge of portraying a manic-depressive with euphoric highs and suicidal lows, but the movie tips its hand early on that wild, spontaneous behavior is healthy for the soul. It helps get you jobs, it helps make you friends! It's the same thinking which made "A Thousand Clowns" into an unbearable hit. ** from ****

Based on the first few minutes, I was expecting a comedy about a happy-go-lucky construction worker who displays unconventional behavior. Even after his first trip to a mental hospital, I figured this would be a romantic comedy about a fun guy and the pretty female psychiatrist who wants to prove he's wacko.Actually, she is right about him. He is manic-depressive. The man who only refers to himself as "Mr. Jones" doesn't believe he is manic-depressive because he would have to get depressed. We haven't seen it and surely it's not true, right? Wrong. This is a very troubled man. He will need a lot of care, and we must be prepared to go through some hard times with him.Richard Gere did a very good job. Naturally, I liked him best when he was fun. His character seems "normal" because this is a movie, but that soon changes. Gere effectively shows a wide range of personality styles, though this is nothing groundbreaking.Delroy Lindo is a standout performer as Howard, the co-worker who apparently saves Mr. Jones' life. Although they work together less than a full day (I assume), they become close friends. Some of my favorite scenes have Gere and Lindo together.Baha Jackson does a good job as Howard's son.Lauren Tom briefly appears as a bubbly, fast-talking, excited patient. Too bubbly. She's going to have to crash--and she does.Whether you like this movie or not depends on whether you want comedy or drama. I found enough scenes enjoyable.

Mr. Jones is about a man who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Another term for his diagnosis is manic-depressive disorder. He cycles between being ecstatic about life and going through depressive episodes. Richard Gere does an excellent job of portraying this diagnosis. In the beginning of the film, Mr. Jones is in one of his manic states, where he is high on life and thinks he can do anything. After convincing a contractor to give him a job building a roof, he decides that he is going to make like a plane and fly off of it. Luckily, a fellow construction worker manages to get him down from the roof and save his life.After this, Mr. Jones gets incarcerated at a mental institution for evaluation. He meets the other main character of the film here, Dr. Elizabeth Bowen (Lena Olin). Dr. Bowen believes that Mr. Jones needs professional help and seeks to involuntarily commit him. During a hearing for his commitment, Jones craftily convinces a judge that he is just a happy go lucky guy, and the judge sets Jones free. The trial is a key scene because it not only shows how Jones is a very quick-witted person during his manic state, but, also, Dr. Bowen reviles that people with his condition first go through the manic state, but then fall into a very deep depression.Sure enough, after one more incarceration, Jones goes through his depressive stage. This time he wanders around and doesn't know where he is. It seems like he doesn't care about life and very nearly gets killed when he steps out into traffic on a busy street. The good doctor finds Jones in this state after letting herself into his apartment. After this, Jones apparently voluntarily commits himself to the hospital where Dr. Bowen works and he undergoes counseling and drug treatment. It is reviled that Jones has previously been prescribed drugs for his condition but he "cannot live without his highs" even though it means going through his lows. Here the movie takes on aspects more like a love story rather than a movie about a mental illness.In the end, Jones gets better and he and the doctor live happily ever after, presumably. Overall it was a good film that accurately portrays Bipolar disorder. One thing that the viewer should be aware of, though, is that it is a very inaccurate depiction of how the therapist-client relationship works. Many psychologists cringe at the thought of a therapist having relations with a client, as it is a violation of trust as well as a violation of the necessary distance between both the people in the relationship.