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The Doctor

The Doctor

Drama · 1991

Jack McKee is a doctor with it all: he's successful, he's rich, and he has no problems.... until he is diagnosed with throat cancer. Now that he has seen medicine, hospitals, and doctors from a patient's perspective, he realises that there is more to being a doctor than surgery and prescriptions.

Movie details

The Doctor

“An Uplifting Story About Finding New Meaning In Life.”

1991 Drama 2h 2m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

Jack McKee is a doctor with it all: he's successful, he's rich, and he has no problems.... until he is diagnosed with throat cancer. Now that he has seen medicine, hospitals, and doctors from a patient's perspective, he realises that there is more to being a doctor than surgery and prescriptions.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Doctor?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Randa Haines

Written by

Robert Caswell

William Hurt

William Hurt

Jack

Christine Lahti

Christine Lahti

Anne

Elizabeth Perkins

Elizabeth Perkins

June

Mandy Patinkin

Mandy Patinkin

Murray

Adam Arkin

Adam Arkin

Eli

Charlie Korsmo

Charlie Korsmo

Nicky

Wendy Crewson

Wendy Crewson

Leslie Abbott

Court is in session

Put The Doctor on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.