Mr. Jones MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -2

Who is Mr. Jones (Richard Gere)? He might as well be named John Doe for all we ever learn about him in this strange story. A mentally ill man wanting to fly without benefit of an airplane persuades a construction foreman to hire him. He perches precariously on a narrow rooftop beam creating an extremely dangerous situation. Co-worker Howard (Delroy Lindo) saves him, but the police take him to a mental hospital. There he is treated by Dr. Elizabeth Bowen (Lena Olin), a beautiful psychiatrist who develops a strong attraction for her mysterious patient. Mr. Jones is an accomplished musician, has a keen sense of humor and a happy-go-lucky outlook that is captivating. He tells his therapist he took 73 aspirin once in college and hasn't had a headache since. From these sessions, it appears that this grown man behaves like a mischievous little boy because he was deprived of a normal childhood. When his chemical imbalance kicks in, he slumps into deep, sometimes suicidal depressions. Mr. Jones' sharp mood swings become tiresome, and the absurd love story is almost laughable instead of touching.

What is touching in MR. JONES is the unconditional friendship Howard offers his co-worker. A black family man with five children, Howard takes Mr. Jones home with him to dinner. The family return thanks at the table and reach out to make Mr. Jones feel comfortable. Mr. Jones charms a bank teller into spending a day with him, and takes her to an elegant hotel suite for sex. Also, Elizabeth admits to a colleague that she and Mr. Jones have become sexually involved. However, no bedroom scenes are shown in either situation. By far the most objectionable element is the language with over 30 obscenities. A mental patient attacks Elizabeth, slamming her against a wall, and a young Chinese girl is shown very briefly after she has committed suicide by slashing her wrists. Mr. Jones tells his doctor he needs to be "high" all the time, because that is his personality. However, he is never shown popping pills; in fact, he refuses to take the pills prescribed for him. His life seems to be void of meaning or purpose, which also describes this film.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Tri-Star Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232