The Doctor (1991 film)
| The Doctor | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Randa Haines |
| Produced by | Laura Ziskin |
| Screenplay by | Robert Caswell |
| Based on |
A Taste of My Own Medicine by Edward Rosenbaum |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Convertino |
| Cinematography | John Seale |
| Edited by |
Lisa Fruchtman Bruce Green |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12,000,000 (US) |
| Box office | $38,120,905 (US) |
The Doctor is a 1991 drama film directed by Randa Haines. It is loosely based on Dr. Edward Rosenbaum's 1988 book, A Taste Of My Own Medicine.[1] The film stars William Hurt as Jack MacKee, a doctor who undergoes a transformation in his views about life, illness and human relationships.
Plot
Dr Jack MacKee is a successful surgeon at a leading hospital. He and his wife have all the trappings of success, although Jack works such long hours that he rarely has time to see their son and has become somewhat emotionally dead to his wife. His "bedside manner" with his patients, in many cases seriously ill, is also quite lacking. The decorum in the operating theater is very casual, loud country and rock music, and the chatter between him and his partner, Dr. Murray Kaplan, not particularly professional. (When a patient with a chest scar mentions her husband is not close anymore, Jack responds that she should tell him that she is just like a "Playboy centerfold, because she has the staple marks to prove it.")
Returning home from a dinner party, Jack has a coughing fit. His wife Anne is shocked when he coughs up blood all over her and the car. In an examination, Jack has a sample of a growth removed from his throat. The biopsy comes back positive for cancer. His time spent with another, cold impersonal surgeon in this examination is the beginning of his transformation. Further tests and disappointments are blended with scenes of other patients' grace and empathy towards each other and a much better view of the delays and missteps of their doctors and medical support personnel.
As Jack experiences life as a patient, there comes a clearer understanding of the emotionally void hospitals, some doctors, and his own colleagues can display. He befriends June Ellis, a fellow cancer patient who has an inoperable brain tumor. She gets him to promise to never lie or mislead a patient again. Jack begins to bark at the medical establishment. Jack and June take off to see a native Indian show but the pace is too much for her. His wife, meanwhile, struggles to understand Jack's relationship with June.
Jack's radiation treatment does not stop the cancer on his vocal cords. His despair ends in a confrontation with Dr. Leslie Abbott, the surgeon treating him whom he provokes in a heated discussion. Jack asks a colleague he has previously ridiculed, Dr. Eli Bloomfield, to perform his needed surgery. Jack apologizes for his and Murray's insulting behavior, to which Eli replies with a smile, "Well, Jack, I've always wanted to slit your throat, and now I've got the chance." Eli's bedside manner is a perfect example for Jack.
Jack's cancer is treated and cured, but June dies. The experience changes Jack forever. When he returns to work, he begins to teach new medical interns about the importance of showing compassion and sensitivity towards their patients, which in turn will make them better doctors. Jack puts the interns in patient gowns, assigns them various illnesses and orders all the tests for them to "feel" the experience that they will soon put their patients through.
Cast
- William Hurt as Dr. Jack McKee
- Christine Lahti as Anne McKee
- Elizabeth Perkins as June Ellis
- Mandy Patinkin as Dr. Murray Kaplan
- Adam Arkin as Dr. Eli Bloomfield
- Charlie Korsmo as Nicky McKee
- Wendy Crewson as Dr. Leslie Abbott
Production
Warren Beatty was originally announced for the lead role.[2]
Reception
The movie gained positive reviews. It holds a favorable 85% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes film web site as of 2013.
Box office
The movie was a modest box office success, grossing $38 million in the US.[3]
Award (nominations)
- Young Artist Award for Best Family Feature Film - Drama
References
- ↑ Dr. Edward E. Rosenbaum, A Taste Of My Own Medicine: When the Doctor Is the Patient, Random House, 1988. ISBN 978-0-394-56282-7
- ↑ Calling Dr. Beatty Broeske, Pat H. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 22 July 1990: Z28.
- ↑ "Weekend Box Office : 'Mobsters' Is the Only Solid Opener". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
External links
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