Critical Care

It is hard to say HOW this film escaped my radar..... Just saw it in IFC and was amazed at the breadth of talent on it along with the wonderful ideas.

Would like to see it a couple of more times just to digest it.

Don't own a TV - my girlfriend does; I only watch it when I see her.

Why on earth this movie did not get proper distribution ?

Strongly recommend.

Wallace Shawn's character made me think of All that Jazz - don't ask me why. Maybe due to their life/death discussions.

Ed Hermann was really astonishing as a lawyer.Kira Sedgwick and James Spader were

truly wonderful together.

Hope to hear some feedback.

This film should be required viewing for all physicians, insurance execs and lawyers. The story is a dark comedy which looks at the twisted mess that is our modern healthcare system. James Spader is perfect as a cynical medical resident who learns the hard way about the realities of dealing with a patient's family, lawyers and the insurance games played by hospital administrators. As a family practice physician I can say that the plot of this film rings true on many levels....the stress of being a resident, the battle between family members, insurance companies and hospital administrators and the conflicting expectations of all involved. A favorite of the Sundance Channel and with good reason. A great flick...

A very sarcastic film, and quite an entertaining one, too. Although (or maybe because) many of the truths about the American medical system presented seem to have been taken directly from Samuel Shem's novels, and despite the hard to believe ending, this movie is fun to watch. Its relatively low imdb rating is prove for the relatively low level of humor that most people share. I recommend this movie to any medical student, trust me- you will enjoy it.

Not bad medical drama hampered by the fact that for a great deal of the film Spader's character behaves like an idiot. This isn't the actors fault, he gives as good a performance as possible considering the actions forced on him by the script. He is certainly supported by a high quality cast in almost every role. Kyra Sedgwick is annoying and not terribly convincing but she is the lone sore spot. Helen Mirren is wonderful as an understanding and compassionate nurse and Albert Brooks a stitch as a loony doctor well past his sell by date. The script has many holes but it does make a strong plea for doctors seeing patients as people not just science projects and sources of income.

This film takes its place beside many comedy/dramas touching on the inadequacies of the medical profession, such as Otto Preminger's "Such Good Friends (1971)" and Arthur Hiller's "The Hospital (1971)." Though the comedy here is not as "black" as those films, which concentrated more on the incompetencies of some doctors and nurses, "Critical Care" finds its humor in the insurance-driven medical profession today. Albert Brooks is absolutely wonderful as the epitome of a doctor caring only about the bottom line. His only concern is whether or not a prospective patient has medical insurance, and his decision to keep a comatose patient with no chance of recovery alive is based solely on the fact that the insurance company pays $9,500 per week ("cold cash") if he's alive, and zilch if he dies. Conversely, an emergency patient has very little priority if he has no medical insurance. The reason to see the film is Albert Brooks, in a much different role than he usually plays.

The setup is a bit contrived, but is easily forgiven. I also enjoyed the brief roles of Wallace Shawn as the devil (called "furnaceman" in the credits) and Anne Bancroft as sort of an angel in a nun's habit.