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Reviews by Matt Heffernan <matt@filmhead.com>
This week my picks are
Dr. T and the Women
(2000 - 
) and
MASH
(1970 - 
).
The first film this week is the latest from legendary director
Robert Altman, who brings together another all-star ensemble.
Richard Gere takes the lead as Dr. Sullivan Travis, a Dallas
gynecologist who is known by his rich clientele as "Dr. T".
When his wife (Farrah Fawcett) goes crazy and gets naked at the
mall, he has to manage a house full of women while his
daughter (Kate Hudson) gets ready for her wedding. Other
characters include Helen Hunt as the new golf pro in town who
brings love into Dr. T's life while Mrs. T is finger painting
in a mental hospital, Laura Dern as his sister-in-law who
moves into his house, and Shelley Long as his head nurse
who, like every other woman in town, is madly in love with him.
The screenplay by Anne Rapp
(Cookie's Fortune) is light
as a feather, but Altman turns it into a technical tour de
force, juggling characters in a scene unlike any other director.
Full review from October 19, 2000
However, like any director, Altman is at his best with a great screenplay, which is exactly what Ring Lardner Jr. provided for the second film, winning himself an Academy Award in the process. Based on the novel by Richard Hooker, MASH depicts the tour of duty of surgeon "Hawkeye" Pierce (Donald Sutherland) in a mobile hospital during the Korean War. He manages to buck authority while saving lives with fellow surgeons "Trapper" John McIntyre (Elliott Gould) and "Duke" Forrest (Tom Skerritt). At once a hilarious comedy and an incisive satire, MASH helped establish Altman as a serious director who understood comedy. The film also inspired a long-running sitcom whose final episode was the highest-rated in history.
For more information, visit the Internet Movie Database:
Dr. T and the Women (2000)
MASH (1970)
Here's some merchandise for sale at
| Dr. T and the Women (2000) | -- VHS |
| Dr. T and the Women (2000) | -- DVD |
| Dr. T and the Women: Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
| MASH (1970) | -- VHS |
| MASH, a novel by Richard Hooker | -- Hardcover |
| MASH, a novel by Richard Hooker | -- Paperback |
| MASH: Soundtrack | -- Compact Disc |
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