THE DOCTOR. Directed by Rand Haines; written by Robert Caswell; produced by Laura Ziskin for Touchstone. Starring William Hurt, Christine Lahti, Elizabeth Perkins and Mandy Patinkin. Rated PG l3.
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The Doctor is an effective and moving story of an emotional coming-of-age. It's something of a tear-jerker, but the acting is so realistic that all but the most cynical moviegoers will enjoy it anyway.
The story is adapted from a book by Ed Rosenbaum called A Taste of My Own Medicine, which is a much more informative title. Jack (Hurt) is a top-flight heart surgeon who develops cancer and learns what life is like at the other end of the stethoscope.
Along the way, the movie makes some keen criticisms of the practice of modern medicine. One of the central points of the script, in fact, is about unfeeling doctors. We can catch more subtle comments, though, as well, about unnecessarily cold hospital interiors, and about both innocent and knowing incompetence.
But the main thrust of The Doctor is Jack's journey of personal discovery. And it holds our interest largely because of Hurt's fascinating performance.
The excellence of the acting isn't surprising, since Hurt is almost always this good. But this role might be among his most difficult. Jack is a man unable to articulate serious feelings or relate on a serious level with his "significant others." In the course of The Doctor, though, he is forced to learn to do both. The best thing about Hurt's portrayal is that this learning process doesn't seem too easy.
The Doctor isn't a one-man show, though; the supporting cast is distinctive as well. Lahti is a standout in a another difficult role, as Jack's neglected wife, a woman with her own problems in communicating. Perkins is appealing and believable as a fellow cancer patient, although her appearance is something of a contrivance. How would Jack's development have proceeded if he hadn't just happened to run into this remarkable lady?
Minor quibbles such as this aside, however, The Doctor is a winner.
August 28, 1991