All the levels of a messed-up life, as Guido nears mental collapse, are given short shrift here.

Jonathan does not want to talk about Chloe or indeed his family or any part of his messed-up life.

And there's an understanding here that you can have a messed-up private life and still do good work.

The Swedish genius (1849-1912) - by all accounts, a man close to madness - poured his messed-up life into his plays, 52 of them, and other writings, 35 books, not to mention 15 volumes of letters.

Picking and scratching himself, he sends everybody running for the exits, finally wandering off himself and muttering how he really doesn't need "a messed-up life in the Army."

As Sean Daniel, a producer, told The Times's Bernard Weinraub: "There's an understanding here that you can have a messed-up private life and still do good work."

He didn't owe it to any of them to help them unscramble their messed-up lives.

Given the frayed reality of his shabby loft and his messed-up life, this is a surpassingly elegant defense for Jacob; Mr. Gazzara transposes it into a commanding, graceful performance.

Well, no one would guess you'd have a messed-up life.

It has produced record rates of divorce, illegitimacy, social diseases, and messed-up lives.