HealtH

RIP Glenda Jackson, first of all. Secondly, when the yellow-overall HealtH singers say "Welcome to HealtH" it sounds like "Hell." So it goes. Third, I'd like that Monte Cristo, thanks.

A decidedly minor work in a run Altman had in the 1970s (into 1980) that stands alone in all of American Cinema for comedic and dramatic chutzpah and innovation in holding no quarter for stylistic convention or even typical taste; it just doesn't add up to a whole lot, mostly as you dont care much about what the Garner and Burnett characters had together, and while I would never use the "this was a Dress Rehearsal for that" with Altman because he just didn't work that way he would have sharper knives out (and more empathy) with a similar ruthless political satire later in the 1980s with Tanner 88 - there's even an "Exercise Your Right to Vote" bit - albeit Lauren Bacall and her knowing-ballyhoo book-to-product line was amusing in its cynical snark.

But within enough individual scenes, and for as thin as their characters are Burnett and Garner bring a lot and my goodness Jackson (the latter's dialog 90% taken from Adlai Stevenson speeches), I found myself laughing a lot, consistently, simply because I knew the actors knew what they were saying in the moment, absurdity and Carlin-esque understanding of "its all BS, folks, and it's bad for ya" in toyal. It's a true Oddity in American motion pictures, so weird that I imagine the studio decided not to release it long before in the runtime that Henry Gibson showed up in drag (how did he not wind up on the Golden Girls?).

And, yeah, Alfred Woodard, disarmingly hilarious because shes so straightfoward with Dick Cavett talking to her, has the right attitude, which is her politely saying: you white mothers are crazy.

This is all to say, what I would've given to share a bong with Bob.

In the classic sense of the four humors (which are not specific to the concept of funny or even entertainment), Altman's "H.E.A.L.T.H." treats all of the humors, and actually in very funny, entertaining ways. There's the Phlegm, as personified by Lauren Bacall's very slow, guarded, and protective character Esther Brill, who's mission in life appears to be all about appearance, protecting the secrets of her age and beauty more than her well-being. There's Paul Dooley's Choleric Dr. Gil Gainey, who like a fish out of water (perhaps more like a seal) flops around frenetically, barking and exhorting the crowds to subscribe to his aquatic madness. The Melancholy of Glenda Jackson's Isabella Garnell smacks of Shakespeare's troubled and self-righteous Hamlet -- even proffering a soliloquy or two. And let's not forget Henry Gibson's Bile character, Bobby Hammer ("The breast that feeds the baby rules the world"). Then there's the characters Harry Wolff and Gloria Burbank (James Garner and Carol Burnett, respectively), relatively sane characters striving to find some kind of balance amongst all the companion and extreme humors who have convened for H.E.A.L.T.H. -- a kind of world trade organization specializing in H.E.A.L.T.H., which is to say anything but health. This is Altman at his classic best.

I was mesmereized by this movie when it played on 1983 summer TV, but haven't been able to see it again, even though I've been searching off and on (mostly off) for 20+ years.

Apparently, no one else in the known universe has anything good to say about HEALTH. Perhaps I won't, either, on a second watching. But on that first watching it was one of the best, funniest, quirkiest movies I'd ever seen. I've actually been recommending it to some of my friends ever since.

Contrary to what one commenter noted, I did recently see a reference to it on VHS, but I was hoping to find it on DVD. I guess a director's commentary would be too much to ask for <g>.

"HEALTH" never comes near the brilliance of Robert Altman's earlier political satire, "Nashville"; but it has its moments. I found it interesting because of the good characterizations from all of the participants, but bringing it all together into a unifying theme seems to be absent from this Altman effort. The movie starts out promising but seems to lose steam before its hour and 45 minute running time is over. The ending disappoints because the outcome is so obvious from the first few frames. Still the viewer can have fun along the way: Lauren Bacall lifting her hand for purity and then sometimes inexplicably dropping off into oblivion; Paul Dooley lying at the bottom of the swimming pool as a campaign stunt; Dick Cavett relaxing in his hotel room watching The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Granted you would have to be a certain age to appreciate that last joke. Still, one wonders what was in Altman's mind in creating this film. Since it was made in 1980, I would think it would be a veiled criticism of Ronald Reagan's ascension to the presidency. But it never stretches itself far enough to really make that point. So I may be reading more into it than is intended.

As an Altman fan, I'd sought out this movie for years, thinking that with such a great cast, it would have to be at least marginally brilliant.

Big mistake.

This is one of Altman's big-cast mishmashes, thrown together haphazardly and improvisationally (or so it feels) with the hope that it would all come together in the editing room. It doesn't.

As Maltin points out, this turkey is notable only for the debut performance of Alfre Woodard, who outshines the vets all around her. But other than that, avoid at all costs. (Which is pretty easy to do -- it's never been released on video -- to my knowledge -- and its cable appearances have the frequency of Halley's Comet.)