STUTZ
★★★★
OUT NOW (NETFLIX) / CERT 15 / 96 MINS
DIRECTOR Jonah Hill
CAST Jonah Hill, Phil Stutz
Shot in gorgeous black-and-white, Stutz is a series of conversations between actor/filmmaker Jonah Hill and his shrink Phil Stutz. Hill outlines his reasons for the movie as twofold. Firstly, to shine a light on Stutz’s unique practices, or, as Stutz calls them, “tools”: a series of no-nonsense concepts and exercises designed to create immediate change. Secondly, to construct a touching biography of the man who has changed Hill’s life, from his complicated relationship with his mother, to his inability to pursue romances and the onset of Parkinson’s disease. There are some insights into Hill’s doubts and anxieties (including a terrific rug-pull), but Stutz works best as a moving portrait of a friendship — less therapist/patient, more two guys busting each other’s balls.