The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions

The New York Times article catches the interest of Hollywood and publishers. Michael calls Jonathan, revealing he has accepted a $1.5 million deal with Imagine Films for his life story. Ron Howard, who played Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, is due to direct. Publishing houses also entered a bidding war for Michael’s memoir, The Laws of Madness. Michael accepted Scribner’s offer of $600,000. The movie will be based on The Laws of Madness.

Michael and Carrie move into an apartment in the quiet town of Hastings-on-Hudson. Publications frequently consult Michael as an expert on mental illness. In The New York Times, he critiques the psychiatrists at a medical school who had a student with bipolar disorder hospitalized after an assault on another student. Michael describes psychiatric hospitals as “netherworlds.”

Leonardo DiCaprio is due to play Michael in the movie of his life. Screenwriter Chris Gerolmo changes the names of the key roles in the screenplay and Michael becomes Kevin Lauton. The film’s perspective is from Kevin’s point of view, so his delusions and hallucinations seem real to the audience. Michael clarifies that he does not want to be portrayed as violent. When Leonardo DiCaprio pulls out of the project due to other commitments, Brad Pitt takes on the role of Kevin. Gerolmo also takes over as director when the same thing happens to Ron Howard. Michael’s publishers plan to publish his memoir just as the movie is released. However, Gerolmo completes the screenplay before Michael has written The Laws of Madness. Michael becomes increasingly scornful of the movie executives in charge of his project.

Bonnie and Bo Burt worry that the excitement of the movie production may be adversely affecting Michael. Bonnie’s experience with schizophrenic patients has taught her that even positive events can act as “stressors.” However, other members of the Network disagree.

Carrie intends to convert to Judaism. She and Michael attend the local synagogue and study with Rabbi Eddie Schecter. While Jonathan published his first novel two years earlier, Michael is making little progress with his memoir. He is also conscious that the movie will be the only version of his life story if he does not complete it. Editor Hamilton Cain visits Michael with a tape recorder, hoping to obtain some material to work with.

Hamilton and Michael discuss an essay by Robert Sapolsky about shamans and schizophrenia. The essay suggests that people with mild schizophrenia often became shamans in tribal cultures. Michael suggests that he is also a “tribal visionary,” believing that his mental illness is a manifestation of his connection to God. Toward the end of the day Michael’s friendly tone suddenly changes. He stands over Hamilton, ordering him to go.

Michael takes several months to approve the transcript of his conversation with Hamilton. By that time Hamilton has accepted a job elsewhere. He shows the transcript of his conversations with Michael to his dying father-in-law, Mike Goldstein—a psychologist and specialist in schizophrenia. Goldstein concludes that Michael is concealing the severity of his illness.

Jane Rosenman takes over from Hamilton as Michael’s editor. She builds a rapport with Michael, but he consistently fails to produce any work. Meanwhile, Jonathan has a panic attack while driving. Diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, he begins taking Prozac, and his condition improves.

Michael’s vision of a more inclusive societal attitude to disability comes closer to a reality. Debates take place over how the Americans with Disabilities Act should be applied to people with mental illnesses. The guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission state that employers should accommodate characteristics associated with mental illness, including poor timekeeping and judgment as well as “hostility to co-workers” (401). Many employers disputed the practicality of this guidance.

Members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) are excited by Michael’s upcoming portrayal in a movie. NAMI is active in fighting misguided representations of mental illness and succeeded in getting Nike and John Deere to withdraw offensive adverts. John Deere advertised “the world’s first schizophrenic lawn mower” (406), while Nike’s campaign stated, “Crazy people talk to themselves; it doesn’t matter” (407).

Michael’s original proposal for his memoir presented his story in the form of the hero’s journey, outlined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). Campbell helped to create the notion that the hero’s journey was similar to the experience of schizophrenia. Campbell represented “schizophrenic breakdown” in positive terms, suggesting that it marked the beginning of an inward quest to find balance and fulfill the self’s potential.

As many people with schizophrenia struggle to maintain long-term relationships, the Network views Michael’s relationship with Carrie as another of his exceptional achievements. Michael’s friends consider Carrie a shy, caring young woman overshadowed by her brilliant partner. However, Carrie’s colleagues at the Edison Project love Carrie for her optimistic outlook, dynamism, and outstanding technological skills. Michael’s health often defines Carrie’s working hours. It is often difficult to leave him in the mornings, and she stays up late catching up on her work and watching over him. When Carrie returns from work, Michael sometimes refuses to let her in as he questions her identity. On these occasions, she sleeps on a friend’s couch. Carrie never complains, and her colleagues view her relationship with Michael as a feature of her remarkable character.

Jane Rosenman and literary agent Tina Bennet visit Michael in Hastings-on-Hudson. They hope to persuade him to allow another writer to help with his memoir. Michael’s aura is one of deep depression, and Jane is convinced he is seriously unwell. Michael claims that Carrie’s father hates him because he is Jewish, schizophrenic, and has no career prospects. Jane and Tina have no success in talking to Michael about the book.