The Doctor (1991)

A hidden gem of a movie about a doctor who learns what it's like to be sick and become a patient in his own hospital. William Hurt is fine as Dr. Jack McKee, and Christine Lahti is good as his lonely, hurt wife, but Elizabeth Perkins' performance as June, a fellow patient with Jack in for radiation therapy for her Stage 4 brain tumor is absolutely brilliant. She could've blown it with an over the top performance here, but she finds just the right tone and is really a calming presence throughout her screen time. She even looks good with a shaved head, bless her! I also love the scene (Tearjerker Alert) in which Mr. Maris, a prospective heart transplant patient of Jack asks him if the donor was good hearted or kind hearted and Jack's answer to him. Adam Arkin, Mandy Patinkin, and Wendy Crewson, as a mean-spirited Ear Nose & Throat specialist also deliver strong supporting turns.

This movie came out about a year before I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and I watched it during my recovery from surgery and radiation treatments. It helped me to understand the relationship between doctor and cancer patient. William Hurt is indeed excellent in this film, but I have always liked his understated presence and aloof yet empathetic evocations. Recently, a colleague was diagnosed with a serious cancer and he continues to undergo his treatments. I think the American medical community has made great improvements in the emotional component of care for cancer patients, but in 1992 Hurt's portrayal was close enough to echo my observations of how I was cared for then.So, though it's a bit of a tearjerker and has a happy ending that reality will not always produce, I think it is a meaningful film and especially for those who are facing a serious diagnosis or caring for those who are.

This film is an involving, serious and important reflection of what changes a doctor goes through when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Dr. Jack McKee (William Hurt) is an arrogant self-satisfied surgeon on top of the world. He and his colleagues, Dr. Eli Blumfield (Adam Arkin) and Dr. Kaplan (very well-portrayed by Mandy Patimkin) are all successful surgeons. Some go through character transformation for the better when they learn that Dr. McKee has throat cancer.An early scene in the film involves Dr. Abbot (great performance by Wendy Crewson as the ENT/throat surgeon who diagnoses his cancer). She is cold and clinical, and Hurt becomes angry. He tells her she is not treating her patients with any compassion or empathy. She basically responds by telling him her patients are basically an assembly line. Hurt used to be similar to Dr. Abbot, as we see in an opening scene he makes a cutting remark to a breast cancer patient.The transformation also occurs as Hurt is waiting for an MRI. He meets June Ellis (Elizabeth Perkins) who has an advanced brain tumor. She talks with him, and tells him they got to the cancer too late. She is resigned to her death. Hurt is outraged as he notes that she was never treated appropriately for her illness, as an MRI test would have diagnosed the early stages of a cancer. She retorts that her insurance company refused to pay for an MRI.Hurt's wife is well portrayed by Christine Lahti. She tries to help him, and he finds himself drawn to the patient, June Ellis. Hurt realizes that life is multi-faceted, and being a doctor is not the only thing that matters. Ellis teaches him to appreciate nature, they take a trip to the desert, there are some beautiful scenes and cinematography.Hurt finally realizes he must first teach compassion and empathy. New surgical interns are trained by him and there are some amusing scenes where he makes them enact a role reversal, and put on hospital gowns; they are to be diagnosed with fictional illness and identify with the patients. My brother is a surgeon and went through similar training.Overall an excellent and moving film not to be missed. Highly recommended. 9/10

While this is not really the kind of movie that someone calls a favorite or one that you want to watch over and over again, it has it's interesting and touching moments. This is even more so if you've ever worked around smug doctors, have gone through a medical crisis or have supported someone through one. William Hurt plays his usual "I need a jolt to get me out of this semi-comatose drawl" guy which actually works well for the part. His stereotyped distant demeanor as a physician who seems to have it all quickly dissipates after being diagnosed and treated for cancer. Unfortunately, he turns a tad too sappy in the end. A scene in which he caressed the head of patient who he just performed a heart transplant on was too sugary for my taste. As happens far too often, women only get "tool" supporting characters here. While I've usually considered Elizabeth Perkins a non-actress, she shows otherwise in this movie and delivers a good performance if only in a supporting role. The movie is well cast all around. Christine L and Mandy P also deliver good performance if in all too small roles. The script and directing could have been better.