Numb review

Matthew Perry in a sadsack dramedy about a depressed screen scribe? Sounds like a write-off. Yet despite the inevitable navel-gazing, Harris Goldberg’s autobiographical tale of a listless scribbler suffering from ‘depersonalisation’ (a rare form of depression leaving him disconnected from the world) can lay claim to originality, honesty and intelligence. A smart script, avoidance of cliché and the likeability of love interest Sara (Lynn Collins) mould Numb into an enjoyably underplayed, grown-up romcom. Granted, it’s no benchmark for the genre – it’s not that funny or romantic. Still, Perry is pitch-perfect and there’s a satisfying self-awareness that stops it becoming too whiny. A little glum, but hardly dumb; and at least it adds some cheer to Goldberg’s CV, which includes such horrors as Deuce Bigalow, Without A Paddle and The Master Of Disguise…