Mr. Jones (1993 film)

Mr. Jones  is a 1993 American romantic drama film starring Richard Gere, Lena Olin, Anne Bancroft, Tom Irwin and Delroy Lindo, and directed by Mike Figgis.

Plot
Mr. Jones (Richard Gere) is a man suffering from bipolar disorder, a disease that affords him periods of intense emotional pleasure and expansiveness but which also results in periods of suicidal depression. In one of his manic periods he jumps up onto the stage during a concert performance of Beethoven's ninth and starts conducting, in another he is on top of a construction site claiming he can fly. He is eventually taken to a psychiatric hospital where he meets Elizabeth "Libbie" Bowen (Lena Olin), a doctor who takes an interest in his condition and they slowly begin falling for each other whilst she tries to treat his condition.

Cast

 * Richard Gere as Mr. Jones
 * Lena Olin as Dr. Elizabeth "Libbie" Bowen
 * Anne Bancroft as Dr. Catherine Holland
 * Tom Irwin as Dr. Patrick Shaye
 * Delroy Lindo as Howard
 * Lauren Tom as Amanda Chang
 * Bruce Altman as David
 * Lisa Malkiewicz as Susan
 * Albert Henderson as Patient

Reception
The film was released to mixed reviews; movie historian Leonard Maltin remarked that "Gere is fine, but his onscreen behavior turns this into The Jester of Tides." Indeed, Gere received praise for his performance as the troubled title character. Many critics noted that the film would have been better if the romance plot between Jones and Libbie was left out, since it appeared forced and contrived.

The movie debuted at No. 7 at the box office. Mr. Jones holds a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Production
To prepare for the film, Richard Gere, Mike Figgis and Eric Roth did a tremendous amount of research and studying on bipolar disorder. Gere met with several people who have the disorder to gain insight and knowledge on what to accurately portray. There is a shorter director's cut that Figgis presented at the Munich film festival in 2006.

Michelle Pfeiffer gave up the female lead to take on the part of Catwoman in Batman Returns.

Props
As in his earlier hit film, An Officer and a Gentleman, Gere's character rides a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.