Dr. T and the Women

Rating: Good

Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running Length: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama (more of the first).
Release Date: October 13th, 2000
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcet, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Tara Reid, Liv Tyler, and Kate Hudson.

Plot: A gynecologist, Sullivan Travis (Richard Gere), suffers a chain reaction of bad events in his life. He must deal with his psychotic wife (Farrah Fawcet) falling apart, and his closet lesbian, cheerleader daughter (Kate Hudson) getting married. His other daughter (Tara Reid), along with other relatives, his secretaries, male friends and patients try to give him support. Did I mention he is having an affair with a female golf pro (Helen Hunt)? To his defense, his wife has been disabled for quite some time. Still an affair is reprehensible no matter what. All the events in his life seem to be coming together as his daughter's wedding occurs and bursts the bubble.

picture above from www.ew.com/ew/article/review/movie/0,6115,64967

        Critique: Dr. T and the Women is Robert Altman light. Great director Robert Altman crafts a solid film, but it is not a deep film. It is a light, enjoyable, if ridiculous little farce with a radiant performance by Helen Hunt. Richard Gere is fine, but not earth shattering. The rest of the cast including Farrah Fawcet, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, and Kate Hudson is effective enough, but they lack spirit. The script does not demand a lot from the cast members. It is not a bad script, nor is it a great script.
        The biggest weakness of Dr. T. and the Women is its nonsensical and ridiculous ending. It does nothing to help the film, and oversimplifies the conflicts Dr. T. faces throughout the picture. However, it does not completely ruin the film, which is entertaining enough. The characters are not always well rounded, but they are intriguing to watch throughout the story. The cinematography is fine, even if the score is uninspiring. Robert Altman's direction is top notch as usual, although it does not truly seem he is giving it his all.
        In conclusion, Dr. T and the Women is a moderately entertaining film. The script is interesting, if limited, and Helen Hunt is fabulous as always. Gere is fine, and the rest of the cast fulfills their roles. Nothing inspiring occurs in the film, and the ending is weak. However, the film is enjoyable enough to recommend.

                                      review by supernothingman