Available this Friday on Apple TV +, The Shrink Next Door is a funny black comedy that brings together Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. More than a black comedy, it is above all a fiction adapted from a true story. We tell you everything.
What is it about ?
Renowned psychiatrist Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf has followed a patient, Martin “Marty” Markowitz, for years. Over time, Ike begins to take Marty’s place in Marty’s life, even moving in with Marty and taking over the family business from the Markowitzes.
The Shrink Next Door, a series written by Georgia Pritchett with Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, Kathryn Hahn …
A history of influence
As often in life, reality goes beyond fiction and this is precisely the business of The Shrink Next Door: to tell a story that we cannot believe and which has nevertheless indeed arrived.
Adapted from a podcast of the same name – consisting of ten episodes – The Shrink Next Door tells the crazy story of a hold that has lasted 27 years! 27 long years during which the deceptively sympathetic Dr. Ike Herschkopf, played by Paul Rudd, has crossed all the ethical lines of his profession.
To do this he found – from his point of view – the perfect pigeon, Marty Markowitz played with astonishing sobriety by Will Ferrell. Marty is so insecure that he can’t even order himself a sandwich. He’s a man who doubts himself for everything, all the time. At the head of the family business since the death of his parents, he can not bear any pressure and almost faint at the slightest conflict.
Apple TV +
Tired of seeing him so badly in his skin, his sister Phyllis – camped by the always brilliant Kathryn Hahn – makes an appointment with Dr. Herschkopf on the recommendations of the family rabbi. At first glance, Dr Herschkopf is an unconventional but warm doctor.
Skillfully pulling his strings, Dr. Herschkopf manages to manipulate Marty while playing on his permanent guilt. So much so that he manages to fit into Marty’s business, his business and even his big house in the Hamptons. He uses the same methods as a guru in a sect: he gradually isolates his victim from his close entourage, making him believe that he is the only one concerned about his well-being.
As implausible as it may sound, The Shrink Next Door portrays a psychiatrist who runs not only after wealthy people but also after celebrities. Obsessed with money and appearances, the well-being of his patients is the least of his concerns. And in the end, it’s a black comedy that turns into tragicomedy.
