Nerve (2011) User Reviews

Realistic, but a little forced and glum

[blakelockett45 · 4/10 · 24 June 2016]

J.R. Sawyers' Nerve is a story about a socially phobic man who has to struggle to overcome his fears. Made on a shoe string budget the relatively unknown actors Tyler Langdon and Laura Alexandra Ramos turn in decent performances, helped by the witty dialog. Yet, I feel if this was made for bigger bucks, it may have turned into something greater. As it is, it's an interesting little indie film with a rather realistic take on mental illness and the way society views people afflicted with it. Good ideas but shaky execution. At times, the acting seems a little unconvincing and forced and I can't help but feel as if it's poking more fun at mental illness and social anxiety in a much more nasty way then it really intends. 4 out of 10 stars

a unique little film about a social misfit. done with style

[jordanmuggs · 10/10 · 28 May 2012]

The filmmakers of this indie made the most of their meager budget and came up with a nice story. I came in thinking it was going to be a straight up gritty tale of a social misfit, which I would've liked as well. But I was just as happy to see the story go into areas I had no idea they'd go, and with plenty of verve and style. Mind you the style isn't for everyone. I have a feeling some may feel it's more a required taste if they're looking for that hard gritty feel.

I think it's worth your time seeing how a social misfit deals with his shortcomings in a way I totally can relate to. Everyone does a great job here, even the supporting, homeless characters which in my opinion should have gotten more screen time.

Very entertaining Indie! Loved it!

[lemme7103 · 10/10 · 27 May 2012]

Surprisingly engaging film about a guy who deals with his anxiety problems and the result of that. He becomes the subject to a girl's dissertation about social anxiety and in the process falls in love with her. We also see how her treatment and experiments affect his psychology. And it's all very entertaining. Sometimes funny.

As far as the acting goes, I'm not familiar with most of the cast. Though I know Tyler Langdon will soon be in Burt Wonderstone. They all did a great job and even the supporting cast like the homeless people all get plenty of moments to shine. The pace is fast and the movie is under 90 minutes, so the film feels nicely lean which is very unusual for an indie.

One of the best independent films I've ever seen!

[iormintz · 10/10 · 27 May 2012]

I saw this at a film festival in New York. Although billed as a seriocomedy, it wound up being surprisingly dramatic-- although there were several laugh out loud moments.

Tyler Langdon and Laura Ramos both did excellent performances, but it's Peter Divito that I was most a fan of. My brother has social anxiety too so it was nice to see a movie tackle the subject in a very original way. In fact, I think this may be the only film ever about social anxiety.

Good music too. Mostly indie rock bands, but also a ton of classical-- some famous, some not. Like I said, very original film. Never seen anything like this before.

A low-budget indie gem.

[lanatravers · 10/10 · 28 May 2012]

Josh is a guy full of anxiety issues. Has problems talking to people and just social situations in general. His coworker, Aurora is working on a psych paper that's all about social anxiety. She decides to use Josh as a guinea pig and in the process frees him from a lot of his troubles. However, there's many catch 22's. And it's the catch 22's that's the overwhelming bulk of the film. I wont say anything else. But i will say I enjoyed the film quite a bit. Imagine a low budget indie version of Punch drunk love, except the lead isn't violent at all. In fact, he's quite an innocent guy, which is where some of the humor comes from. Although the film can be a bit funny at times, I'd definitely say it's a drama for sure.

Character study I definitely recommend

[actormoments · 9/10 · 25 December 2012]

I had to write this review cause a few people I know who've seen the film are having issues concerning how the disorder is portrayed. This is a fictional story about one person dealing with his anxiety, social anxiety included. Although it doesn't pretend to be THE movie about social anxiety, I do think that most of the facts presented the film are true about the condition. My friend has anxiety issues and totally gets why the character makes some of the decisions he does. When he starts the treatment for SAD and then ends up 'seemingly' helped later on, I understood that months had past. And we learn quite quickly that he still has his problems. In fact, the whole movie seems to be about what NOT to do as a psychologist, which is why she's only a STUDENT. I definitely recommend this film! I only wish they had a bigger budget!

An indie full of surprises!

[karinarichards22-382-919773 · 10/10 · 29 May 2012]

I give it a full 10 stars, because of the quality of the story and production considering their small budget. Though the movie has a commercial feel, make no mistake this is definitely a indie. The events that unfold are unexpected and the structure to the whole film keeps you on your toes. Josh is a man with anxiety problems. like social anxiety, panic attacks, etc. His sole hope for having a normal relationship is with a pretty girl working on a paper about the subject. As the story progresses, to create the family he never had, he begins to invite homeless people into his apartment which upsets his roommie. Things continue to escalate from there as we slowly peel away at Josh's psyche.

enjoyed it. entertaining and thought provoking

[loanmeamillion1 · 9/10 · 4 June 2012]

so there's a dude with serious anxiety problems. he keeps to himself at his job, in his personal life and even at home. Lucky for him, his female coworker wants to help him as long as he helps her as the subject of her psych paper. this is just the first 20 minutes. The rest of the film is about what happens after his mind unravels and the interesting predicaments he gets himself into. Hijinks ensue.

this film flies. it never gets too bogged down in any one area and it seems to explore a multitude of different aspects of his life, and in a entertaining way. so if you're looking for requiem for a dream. this isn't it. this is more like crazy stupid love, except imagine if Steve Carrel had social anxiety disorder.. not to mention the actor kinda looks like Steve Carrel