The serio-comic film follows the various interpersonal relationships of sex
addicts living in New York City, probably the worst place to try and escape the
constant visual stimuli. Mark Ruffalo gives a charming, soulful performance as
Adam, a 12-step veteran living like a hermit after five years of sexual
"sobriety". Adam's no TV no Internet existence is a source of humor
for his sponsor, Mike (Tim Robbins), who has his own problems to deal with.
Mike's past promiscuous escapades have soured his wife (Joely Richardson) and
possibly helped turn his son (Patrick Fugit) into a drug abuser. While their
two stories could probably float an entire film separately, other subplots
intercede and even dominate for long stretches. The main one involves Neil
(Josh Gad), a doctor forced into the self-help program after his compulsive
behavior threatens his job. He quickly grows attached to Dede (Alecia "Pink"
Moore), a rockin' hairstylist addicted to bad men and drugs as much as she is
sex. 
With so much going on, nothing quite gets the attention it deserves, and
Blumberg is forced to make concessions of expediency. That includes the central
romantic relationship between Adam and Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow), a sexy breast
cancer survivor and health nut who conveniently has an aversion to dating
addicts. Of course that means his first stab at love in five years will start
off with a lie, as he stays mum on his sobriety. Too much of what goes on between
the two amounts to rom-com fluff and anything deeper than that brushed aside. For
instance, Adam struggles to make the connection between sex and genuine love,
having spent his life viewing it as the means of fulfilling a primal need. 
Ruffalo gets to play a variation of his Bruce Banner character from The Avengers,
bottling up his emotions and refusing to let others crack his calm exterior for
fear of the worst. It's the sort of sensitive, thoughtful character Ruffalo can
easily settle into. Paltrow, while delightful as a whole, has to play a
character that frankly doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Shifting like the wind
depending the plot's needs, Phoebe goes from alluring, to understanding, to
wildly insensitive at a whim. First of all, it doesn't make sense that she
seems completely oblivious to Adam's plight after he finally reveals the truth,
considering her past experience with addicts. Then her reaction to the news
isn't to try and help him begin a new phase of his life, but to strip down and
shake her butt in his face seductively. Most guys would never complain about
being in Adam's situation, but most guys also aren't going through what he is.
It's the equivalent of Phoebe dangling an open bottle of Jack Daniels in front
of an alcoholic. Phoebe seems too much like a plot device than a real person,
and we're never given a reason to root for their relationship to succeed.
Unfortunately there's not much insight into the illness offered up beyond
trite platitudes and slogans, with the hard work of maintaining sobriety
chronicled in montages or left out altogether. Blumberg seems to be celebrating
the close-knit community and camaraderie that helps sufferers break their
dependence on sex, but we only really see it in the budding friendship between
Neil and Dede. Initially resistant to the program, Neil hits rock bottom and
has his "come to Jesus" moment, attracting Dede who admires his
showing of honesty. Since their sponsors are preoccupied with their own lives,
Neil and Dede begin to lean on one another for support, forming a bond of
mutual respect with a person of the opposite sex for the first time in their
lives. Gad, a gifted comedian only beginning to make strides as a dramatic
actor, endures some humiliating physical gags that don't add much. But the
chemistry he finds with edgy pop rocker Pink is the film's true beating heart.
In her first major screen role she doesn't appear the least bit overwhelmed,
nailing the most film's most poignant scene during a group confessional.As writer of The Kids Are All Right, Blumberg helped advance our notions of the American family, but Thanks For Sharing feels a few years out of date. What few points it wants to make are generally accepted now when they would have been revelatory before. Thanks for Sharing has its charms, but it's both too shallow and too busy, and not all that perceptive.
