The Doctor (1991 film)

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 McKee, a doctor who undergoes a transformation in his views about life, illness and human relationships.

The Doctor
Film poster
Directed byRanda Haines
Produced byLaura Ziskin
Screenplay byRobert Caswell
Based onA Taste of My Own Medicine by
Edward Rosenbaum
Starring
Music byMichael Convertino
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byLisa Fruchtman
Bruce Green
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release date
  • July 24, 1991 (1991-07-24)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million
Box office$38 million

Plot

Dr Jack McKee is a successful surgeon at a leading hospital. He and his wife, Anne, 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 lacking. The decorum in the operating theater is very casual and the chatter between him and his partner, Dr. Murray Kaplan, not particularly professional. (When a patient with a chest scar mentions her husband wants to know if it will go away, 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 charity event, Jack has a coughing fit. His wife 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, he gains a clearer understanding of the emotional 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 American 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

Production

Warren Beatty was originally announced for the lead role.[2]

Reception

The movie gained positive reviews. Based on 17 reviews, it holds a favorable 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of October 2019.

Box office

The movie was a modest box office success, grossing $38 million in the US.[3]

Award (nominations)

References
  1. 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
  2. Broeske, Pat H. (22 July 1990). "Calling Dr. Beatty". Los Angeles Times. p. Z28.
  3. "Weekend Box Office : 'Mobsters' Is the Only Solid Opener". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
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