Tim Robbins and Mark Ruffalo Will Star in New Sex Addiction Comedy

What is destined to be a controversial project—starring Tim Robbins and Mark Ruffalo in a comedy about two sex addicts in a twelve-step recovery program—is now in pre-production, with a release date slated for sometime next year. Stuart Blumberg, who won an Oscar for co-writing The Kids Are All Right, will be directing the two actors in Thanks For Sharing, "a heartfelt comedy set in and around a 12-step program for recovering sex addicts in New York City. The bonds of friendship between these men help them overcome temptation and develop meaningful relationships for the first time in their lives."
 
Actor Edward Norton will be serving as executive producer for the movie, which is slated to begin shooting in the fall. Blumberg co-wrote the script with Matt Winston. The filmmakers are still in negotiation for distribution.

The movie deal stirred up some heady interest at the recent Cannes Film Festival, says the Hollywood Reporter. But it’s hard to know what to expect from director Blumberg, who also brought us “the pornstar comedy The Girl Next Door and MadTV,” as Entertainment Weekly observes. Sam Morgan of Hollywood.com wrote: “Hopefully this means we’ll at least get one scene of Robbins recounting a particularly steamy and/or weird sexual escapade while the rest of the group looks on in awe and/or disgust. Fingers crossed!” As for Ruffalo, the move may mark a Hollywood first: From sperm donor (The Kids are All Right) to sex addict.

Should be an interesting project. The treatment for sex addiction has gotten so far out front of the scientific research that the whole field is indeed ripe for satire, if that’s what the director has in mind. As Psychology Today reminds us, “sex addiction is not currently in the DSM, the standard diagnostic manual for psychiatric disorders. Addiction, according to that guide, has to be an addiction to a substance.” But that hard and fast distinction is already getting blurry in the case of gambling and certain kinds of overeating. Well, we intend to ignore those spoilsports. Those guys are good actors; it could be pretty damn funny. When it’s released, we intend to review the film—with an open mind, a notepad, and a closed zipper.