Lifetime returns to its successful anthology mode tonight with a follow up to its 2011 breast cancer-themed Five with Call Me Crazy: A Five Film, premiering tonight at 8/7c. A series of short films, individually assigned a single name–“Grace,” Allison,” “Eddie,” Lucy,” and “Maggie”–and interconnected in unexpected ways which we won’t spoil here, each tells the story of someone struggling with mental illness or affected by someone struggling with mental illness. That in itself is not new territory for TV, or even for Lifetime, but the pedigree of these short films is impressive, and worth making time to watch.
In front of the camera, it’s a who’s who of top talent–Melissa Leo, Jean Smart (opposite her real-life husband Richard Gilliand), Jennifer Hudson, Ernie Hudson, Octavia Spencer, Jason Ritter, Melanie Griffith, and Lea Thompson; Mitch Rouse, who was new to me, and young actresses who you might not have expected to deliver on such weighty material–Brittany Snow, Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland, and Medium‘s Sofia Vassilieva, as well as Ken Baumann from Secret Life of the American Teenager. Behind the camera, we have Bonnie Hunt, Sharon Maguire, Ashley Judd, Laura Dern, and Bryce Dallas Howard directing and Friends friends Jennifer Aniston and Marta Kauffman producing.
These aren’t sugar-coated stories. They’re ugly and real and people say the things they need to say to break through to someone who is mentally ill. The camera styles vary from story to story, as does the tone–some of the tales are more straightforward in their narrative while others amplify the frenetic mania of the person at the center of the story. In addition to having individual directories for each tale, each was also written by someone different (Stephen Godchaux, Howard J. Morris, Deirdre O’Connor, Jan Oxenberg, and Erin Cressida Wilson).
It’s a compelling two hours of television, and I’d bet we’ll see recognition for many of these ladies come awards season. After the premiere tonight at 8/7c, Lifetime will repeat it again at 11/10 c and throughout the month.
Here’s a sneak peek:
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This movie was so good and so emotional. I recommend it to anyone who wants a real story.