Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

Five women directed the loosely-interconnected short films in this Jennifer Aniston-executive produced anthology about life with mental illness that aired on Lifetime. Octavia Spencer is particularly effective as a therapist in Bryce Dallas Howard's “Lucy,” in which the titular law student (Brittany Snow) stops taking her medication and ends up in a mental institute, where she meets Bruce (Jason Ritter). Laura Dern's “Grace,” which also encourages talk therapy and prescription meds, centers on high school student Grace (Sarah Hyland), whose mother Robin (Melissa Leo) suffers from bipolar disorder. Grace's friends consider Robin “the coolest mom in history” until they spend a day with her during a manic episode, which leads to non-stop talking and erratic driving. Lucy returns in Sharon Maguire's “Allison” and Ashley Judd's “Maggie.” In the former, she makes peace with her sister (Sofia Vassilieva), and in the latter—which takes place after she has passed the bar—Lucy represents an ex-army officer (Jennifer Hudson) with post-traumatic stress disorder. Lastly, Bonnie Hunt's “Eddie” concerns a standup comedian (Mitch Rouse) whose depression has been getting the best of him (Lea Thompson costars as his wife). While the desire to de-stigmatize mental illness is an honorable aim, Call Me Crazy ultimately has a soft-focus, movie-of-the-week feel. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)