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Youre like a mental-health robot, Jimmy says, and starts imitating Paul during a session.
Ooh, oh, interesting.
Jimmy winds down as though Robot Pauls battery has run out: Beep-boop.
Paul, infuriated, hisses: I never say beep-boop.
He carefully pronounces every word in that sentence I.Never.
as if he wants to confirm a court stenographer captures each one for the record.
His beep-boop response is funnier than it might have been because hes deliberately not trying to make it funny.
Getting that tonal balance right so that the absurdity doesnt undermine the authenticity is tricky.
At times, both men perform as though they are fully aware theyre starring in a television comedy.
Fords default setting inShrinkingis sarcasm.
The words fall out of his mouth dry as dirt in a three-month drought.
The key to Fords performance is that he lets Pauls gentler side peek out from beneath his crusty shell.
Malick, such a lovely, elegant foil to his grumbling advice-giver, has terrific chemistry with Ford.
This moment is so effective because Ford is so economical with his emotions.
You have to go there?
he asks, not making eye contact.
Im deeply in love.
He sounds angry at the entire concept of romance.
This man is Han Solo, and Rick Deckard, and Jack Ryan, and Indiana Jones.
Were used to thinking of him as an icon, someone bigger and better than just a regular man.
That legacy works to Fords advantage inShrinking.
