“Mumford” is a tale of new beginnings, love, friendship and understanding through listening.

Loren Dean (“Gattaca,” “Enemy of the State”) plays Doc Mumford, a small-town shrink in the town of Mumford. His patients are an eclectic mix of the town’s eccentric population, from the pathetic to the desperate.

But Doc Mumford has one secret: He is not, nor has he ever been, a licensed psychologist.

It takes a while for this information to be revealed in the film, but it was prominently featured in the previews, so there are no real spoilers here.

Doc Mumford is a gifted listener, despite the fact that he doesn’t have a degree in psychology. For no apparent reason, people like to tell him their problems, and by simply listening and trying to get a glimpse of the inner life of his patients, he is able to help them.

One of his patients is lost in his own sexual fantasies. Problem is, he never appears in them himself.

Problems arise early on when Mumford alienates one of his patients, played by Martin Short (“Mars Attacks,” “Alice in Wonderland”), who then becomes determined to get even.

The patient tries to convince the town’s two other mental health professionals that it would be in their best interest to sue Mumford for stealing their clients. Failing at this, he convinces them it would be in their best interest to at least look into his credentials.

Mumford passes muster with impeccably forged credentials and an airtight alibi, supported by the fact that all of his “mentors” have died recently in horrible accidents.

In one of the film’s most powerful scenes, Mumford confesses everything to the town’s “modem king” Skip Skipperton, played by Jason Lee (“Chasing Amy,” “Mallrats”).

This scene is shot from the Mumford’s literal point of view in a shaky, grainy, cinema verity style. He tells Skip how he went to college as an out-of-place hillbilly who soon found himself lost in a world of sex and drugs.

He wandered aimlessly doing odd jobs, and because he was stoned all the time, people would tell him things assuming he was a good listener.

Eventually, he became one.

In an attempt to get his life together, Mumford applied for an office job with the IRS, where he eventually worked his way up to the position of investigator.

He found himself addicted to cocaine and having an affair with his partner’s wife.

After setting up an innocent man who later killed himself, Mumford sees himself in the mirror for the first time in a long while. Disgusted with himself, Mumford kicks the coke habit and creates a new identity.

He moves to Mumford and starts a new life helping people the only way he knows how: by listening.

Ninety percent of the film looks like any other film shot in a small town or on a studio lot: crisp clean streets and small town charm. This makes the verity scene stand out dramatically.

Dean appears so sedate at first that his role could have been played by any character actor with a straight face. But this is deceptive. Dean’s performance is low key but admirable.

It’s impossible to not sympathize with him as we learn of his past and root for his success in spite of his deception.

Lee plays the same character he has in every film he has starred in since “Mallrats,” minus the vulgarity. Skip is an immature genius with a boyish quality that is much more endearing than anything he has done previously.

Hope Davis plays Sofie Crisp, Mumford’s chronically fatigued love interest. This entire premise is a bit weak through no fault of the actors. It just isn’t particularly convincing that a man who has done so much to overcome his past would suddenly lose control over a woman who can barely get up the energy to go for a walk.

Davis is charming enough, but the character is so lifeless and pathetic that even though she is sick, it is difficult to really care.

Alfre Woodard plays cafe owner Lily. She is vastly under-utilized in this film and that is a shame. Woodard is a brilliant actress and made the most of her few scenes as the woman who is simply too tired of men to keep trying.

“Mumford” is a charming, quirky little movie with tons of heart. It is a relief from cynicism in this season of millennial thrillers. It is light, but not without substance.

3 STARS

Ratings based on a 5 STAR scale.

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Greg Jerrett is a graduate student in English from Council Bluffs.