Shrink (2 Stars)

I'm not his manager, but I wonder if Kevin Spacey would profit from laying off the sardonic, disaffected, emotionally numb characters for a while.

They're criminally easy for him at this point in his career.

In "Shrink," a Los Angeles-set indie pushing the theory that every narcissist in Hollywood is really a pussycat underneath, the two-time Oscar winner portrays Carter, best-selling self-help book author and therapist to the stars. His wife's suicide has left him numb and smoking even more weed than usual. Life is a cycle of self-medication and middle-distance staring, accompanied by ambient guitar riffs on the soundtrack.

By day he fakes interest in his twitchy clients, including an A-list action star (Robin Williams) and an obsessive-compulsive agent (Dallas Roberts). Saffron Burrows, who struggles a bit to suggest a small-town Ohio girl made good, plays the actress-wife of a cheating musician, also seeing the doctor for couples counseling.

A sweet but duplicitous valet-cum-screenwriter (Mark Webber), who is distantly related to Carter, steals one of the shrink's patient files and cooks up a screenplay based on a patient's travails.

Underhanded? Yes, but in Hollywood all is forgiven if you have real talent and a big heart.

This brings us to 15-year-old Keke Palmer, the brightest aspect of this low-wattage ensemble piece.

She plays the teenager whose story catches the interest of the screenwriter. The girl's mother's suicide has left her despondent and, in various ways, at risk. Clearly, she and Carter have a lot to learn from one another.

The script of "Shrink," written by Thomas Moffett, plays like "Crash" without the angst or the perpetual racial conflagrations. The movie ties everything and everyone together with extreme neatness, settling for a mosaiclike treatment of a town full of fabulous loneliness where anything is possible, yet nothing is believable.

Only Palmer cuts through the facile surface, with her emotional candor and dramatic tact. She's excellent, and not just for her age. If she can continue growing as an actress -- she played the protagonist in "Akeelah and the Bee" three years ago -- she'll be in great shape for the road ahead.

And if Spacey, who spends a lot of his creative energy running the Old Vic Theatre in London, can find a film role or two to challenge himself and shake up his resume, then we'll be reminded, once again, of how sharp he really is.

Shrink MPAA rating: R (for drug content throughout and pervasive language including some sexual references).

Running time: 1:44.

Starring: Kevin Spacey (Carter); Mark Webber (Jeremy); Jack Huston (Shamus); Keke Palmer (Jemma); Dallas Roberts (Patrick); Saffron Burrows (Kate); Laura Ramsey (Keira); Pell James (Daisy).

Directed by Jonas Pate.

Written by Thomas Moffett.

Produced by Michael Burns, Braxton Pope and Dana Brunetti.

A Roadside Attractions release.

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Shrink Movie Review - Kevin Spacey & Mark Webber

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