The Man with Three Wives

Then beginning and end of this movie depict what everyone who has not lived through this, expected to be the outcome. The fact that a man could carry this three way deception for so long makes the story interesting. No movie minutes are wasted in the telling of this tale and getting across many messages in as few scenes as possible. The doctor has many needs and much to give. He can give much because he has his needs met in so many ways by so many people. He feeds them and they feed him. But the balance is always precarious and keeping it all balanced it what brings down the house that is not a house of cards but a house of emotions and needs that cannot be sustained over a long period of time. As time takes it's toll the need for further deceptions and lies are needed to keep the original lies flowing. Addiction is the root but it is a good intenstioned addiction that fuels this man and his wives. Rollercoaster rides only last a few minutes for a reason. No one can live with the adrenalin flowing constantly and eventually the other side will come in to offset the high. The movie depicted the long term ride that the doctor took and gave it the adhesive necessary to make one see how it could happen. And it showed the downside effects that were experienced by all of the players who were not running the show. They all got part of what they wanted and contributed to something but in the end no one was satisfied. The human heart may want to fulfill it's needs by attending to the needs of many and be fed by the love of many but in the end the deception led to the early demise of the one who loved too much and left big holes to fill for those who were left behind to deal with the debris.

A doctor charms and marries three different women. The problem is, he doesn't bother to divorce one before he marries the next. Beau Bridges is perfectly smarmy as a bigamist who juggles his time between the women. The doctor employs an arsenal of trickery and creates a landfill of lies. There are several scenes where the doctor has to do some quick thinking in order not to get caught. This is based on a true story; in real life, the wives ended up suing each other to get possession of property and money the man had.

I worked for the doctor who had Three Wives. I don't want to be identified so please no questions. This wonderful cardiologist performed a heart and lung transplant on a young 7 yr old boy who passed after 103 days post surgery. He was a wonderful young man named David and the doctor was very kind and committed to his patients. I don't agree with having three wives and how deceptive he was but I got to know his personal side and want to tell you he was very personable and had a very good soul. It was a privilege to work for him. I thought Mr. Bridges played him well in the movie but a few of the facts were not correct. I am retired now and have a hard time typing so my apologies for the shortness of my submission.

I'd give this film 7* - 2 for drama, but 5 for the fascination of watching Beau Bridges' character.

I may have caught it at a bad time, since I did get so engrossed in watching Beau scurrying about and having to maintain so many stories, checkbooks - and wives - that I couldn't dredge up as much sympathy as others seem to have had.

Not only did he have the problem of eating multiple dinners (I'll bet he carried a giant container of Tagamet or Tums), celebrating multiple holiday festivities, creating multiple excuses and falsehoods - PLUS! for heaven's sake, this man had a job as a physician which caused him to get up in the middle of the night to visit sick patients, to boot!!!

I guess it's one thing where some persons engage in seemingly endless "one-night stands," and extremely short-term liaisons.

But watching Beau with all the juggling of things the character had to execute, I couldn't help but imagine even Wilt Chamberlain or that lead singer from "Kiss" who has mentioned his prodigious romantic conquests -- together -- couldn't have accomplished what Beau did with these three separate women, all decidedly over the "long-term."

Finally, I guess if you really stretch your imagination, you can see where a series of events, travel, schedule, etc., could result in a man impetuously marrying a second woman while still in a complete, family relationship with the first. But -- anybody who would opt for a third is deserving of whatever problems he has to bear juggling everything, as well as the dire consequences which result when everything finally unravels.

Pam Dawber portrayed Robyn (the bigamist Doctor's 3rd wife) as a rather nice sympathetic character she was diected to portray. However in my family we did not perceive the real Robyn as the character in the MFTV movie appeared. A cousin of mine was Robyn's 1st husband and father of her daughter Johanna. 1 day she abruptly asked him for a divorce so she could marry this doctor and she took no alimony or community property from my cousin although he did pay child support. When the news story came out about the bigamist doctor dying of a heart attack and Robyn never being legally married to the man my family had the last laugh. Sad indeed.