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WIT / (2001) **** (out of four)

By Blake French:

"Wit" is one of the most personal stories of terminal illness that I can remember. Most of the movie takes place behind hospital doors where the film's main character is tested and treated for advanced stages of ovarian cancer-that may be the reason that it was released straight to cable TV instead of getting a much deserved theatrical release. Do not let the depressing themes stop you from viewing "Wit," it is thought-provoking, riveting, unforgettable-one of the best movies of the year.

The film is directed by Mike Nichols (whose most memorable work is the original classic, "The Graduate"). He is at the top of his game here, vividly focused and, working for a script by himself and Emma Thompson, uses a narrative of the first person. The main character, a strict professor of poety in her upper forties named Vivian Bearing, often talks directly to the camera, incorporating a straightforward point of view as she shares her personal feelings directly. This gives the movie a personal dimension, and the soundtrack, consisting of memorable classical music, contributes to the penetrating power of this superb motion picture.

Since the production never had a theatrical release, it will not be eligible for Academy Awards next March. That is a shame, because the work by Emma Thompson is more invigorating, emotional, and involving as anything we are likely to see this year. She delivers a performance of awe-inducing empathy, doing something many actresses would have trouble dealing with. She plays a tough individual, both physically and emotionally, but, as the movie's clear irony proves, even the strongest people have a breaking point, and when she reaches hers, she loses confidence in her past and current strengths. Thompson is heartbreaking and vivid, creating one of the most convincing and noteworthy characters in a long time.

Christopher Lloyd plays Dr. Harvey Kelekian, the person in charge of Ms. Bearing's treatments. It is clear this man is more concerned about the results of the tests then the actual person being tested. Bearing becomes a mere guinea pig, and as she states in one of the movie's most powerful scenes, she is unbearably ill not because he has advanced stages of ovarian cancer, but because she is being treated for advanced stages of ovarian cancer. It is the actual treatments that are a threat to her health. Eileen Atkins plays a sympathetic nurse who sees Bearing as more than just a patient, but a person. Jonathan M. Woodward delivers a powerful performance as another hospital worker more interesting in numbers than people.

"Wit" is a powerful, harrowing movie not to be missed. It aired on HBO about a week ago and will continue running for a while, until finally reaching home video. Check you local TV listing for show times, or wait for the video release. This movie has a place on my list of the top ten movies of the year, and for you to miss such an influential picture would be a crime.

This is a wonderful, must-see film.

Emma Thompson puts on a superb performance as Vivian Bearing (a Professor of English Literature specializing in the poetry of John Donne,) who leads us through the last months of her life in narrative style.

Diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, Bearing agrees to experimental treatments involving powerful doses of chemotherapy. As we see her gradually losing her fight, Thompson convincingly portrays her emotional and physical torment and pain. Audra McDonald is well cast as the compassionate nurse (Susan) assigned as Bearing's primary care giver, who tries to ensure that, in the face of the doctors' temptation to continue to use Bearing as a guinea pig for their research, she will be treated with dignity and respect in her last days. John Woodward is quite believable as a young cancer researcher (Dr. Jason Posner) who really seems to see dealing with patients as an inconvenience that takes time away from what's really important to him, and his rather emotionless and awkward interplay with Bearing suits the character perfectly; a testimony to Woodward's talent.

This movie offers a powerful commentary on the cold and rather antiseptic environment of hospitals, in which patients are seen more as learning opportunities than people. The poetry of John Donne, interspersed throughout the movie as a source of strength for Bearing, is well used.

There's very little to criticize about this movie. Christopher Lloyd (cast in a rare serious role as Dr. Kelekian, the doctor in charge of Bearing's case) comes across as a bit flat, but the role is a relatively small one, and this doesn't detract much from the story. I also found the flashback scenes to be a bit distracting, but these have to be seen in context: this movie is based on an original stageplay written by Margaret Edson, and these scenes would look quite natural in that environment. I also thought the movie went on about five minutes too long. The last scene to me was unnecessary. I personally would have liked to have seen the movie end with the touching visit by Bearing's former Professor. We'd been put through the ringer enough, and didn't need the troubling last few minutes. These are just minor quibbles, though, about a truly great movie.

It's powerful, well acted, well put together. It could be disturbing to some people uncomfortable with illness and death, but it is an educational experience just to watch. I give it 9/10.

This film was breathtaking, subtle, intelligent and nearly perfect. Emma Thompson was excruciatingly spectacular in her performance, absolutely sublime. I sought-out "Wit" because she was in it, but was not eager to see such a heavy film, as I usually choose lighter entertainment (I loved her in "Junior"). I feel absolutely blessed to have been seduced into seeing it by Thompson's reputation and talent. "Wit" is a masterpiece of theater and film-making. I do not cry easily and I sobbed, I don't know how anyone could not, so be prepared. But the performances were all so perfect that I felt honored to be touched by them. Every medical student, nursing student, pastoral care professional or counselor of any sort should see this film. It is a touching view into the reality of mortality.

First of all, be advised, this is a tough film to watch; but also know that if you choose to do so, you will be rewarded with an experience that is invaluable and unforgettable, and in ways that transcend mere cinematic satisfaction. There is no mystery here, no secrets nor allegories. Indeed, the subject matter is made succinctly evident in the first words you hear, spoken by Dr. Kelekian (Christopher Lloyd) to Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson): `You have cancer.' And so begins `Wit,' directed by Mike Nichols, a film that will claim you emotionally and take you to a place of eternal night-- a region, in fact, wherein even the most intrepid of body and spirit fear to tread. It puts you in a dark room with that thing in the closet and keeps you there; and there is no way out. And once inside, it forces you to face your worst fears, albeit vicariously, in a way that invites some serious reflection upon mortality and the profundity of life.

Vivian Bearing is a professor of English Literature, specializing in the work of Seventeenth Century poet John Donne. Hers is a scholarly life, and she is secure with her place in it; not yet fifty, she has achieved a level of comfort with herself, as well as her work, especially in the class she teaches on Donne. With her students she is a demanding taskmaster and does not suffer fools, nor students who opt for more immediate pleasures over Donne, refusing to accept youthful zeal as an excuse for academic impropriety. In her classroom, she insists that those in attendance rise to her level; she does not stoop to conquer.

Then, with the words of Dr. Kelekian, her world abruptly changes. At first, wrapped in intellectual armor, she finds at least some comfort and respite in her beloved Donne, but she soon finds that the pursuits of the mind, even leavened with a healthy ego, attain a diminished capacity within the environs of a ravaging disease. The eternity of the hospital affords her much time for reflection, and as her illness progresses she undergoes a change in perspectives; taking stock, she considers such things as the aloof manner she affected that served no purpose other than to distance her from her students. And she thinks about it now, not with regret, but differently; her intellectual acumen no longer separates her from her students, nor affords her a lofty perch from which she may sit in judgment. She understands, at last, that she is not so different from them after all. For as she discovers to her considerable dismay-- pain is the great equalizer.

Written by Nichols and Thompson, the screenplay is based on the play by Margaret Edson. The story unfolds like a living diary, as Vivian addresses the viewer directly, with a descriptive narrative that leaves little to the imagination. Graphically real and unrelenting, it is a riveting chronicle that will hold you in thrall from beginning to end and beyond-- because this experience does not end when the screen goes dark; it's something that is going to be with you for a long time afterwards, so be prepared. And the reason this will linger in your memory is that it's a contemplation of a reality that is horrendous beyond imagination. This is that thing that always happens to someone else, but never to `me,' and to be put in the room with someone to whom the unthinkable has happened-- to be up close and personal with it-- is emotionally devastating. This is a true horror story beyond anything Stephen King could write, because this is `real.' What happens to Vivian Bearing is something that happens to people all the time, and there has never been a film before or since that will put you more in touch with what it feels like, from the incredulity born at the moment of diagnosis to the acceptance of the reality of it. And it has nothing to do with courage; it is not about that at all. It's about knowing that you are going to have to do this thing that you least in the whole world want to do-- and that you have no choice in the matter.

This film is a veritable showcase for the incredible talent of Emma Thompson, who gives a performance that is so remarkable there are not enough superlatives to do it justice. Ineligible for Oscar consideration as this film was made for television (HBO), her performance nevertheless is as Oscar worthy as they come (even more impressive than her Oscar winning performance as Margaret in `Howard's End,' which was nothing less than a study in perfection). As Vivian Bearing, Thompson is absolutely mesmerizing-- you simply cannot take your eyes off of her for even a moment. There are times when you want to look away, to avert your eyes because it's just too painful to watch, but you can't. Once you begin this journey you are bound to her for better or worse. You suffer with her through the physical pain, as well as through the base indignities to which she is subjected as a matter of course by the doctors and care givers who simply do not respond to the humanity of the person in their care; a sad commentary, to be sure, but so true.

What really marks Thompson's performance as so extraordinary, however, is the fact that as you watch the drama unfold, you forget this is an actor playing a role; rather, this is a very real person you are watching-- a person named Vivian Bearing who is dying of cancer.

The supporting cast includes Eileen Atkins (E.M. Ashford), Audra McDonald (Susie), Jonathan M. Woodward (Jason) and Harold Pinter (Vivian's Father). An emotionally absorbing drama that redefines empathy and compassion, `Wit' will make you feel alive like never before, and thankful for each and every day that you wake up healthy. It's a film that will enrich your life. 10/10.

"Non-abstract Meditation" may sound like a contradiction, but then this film is full of contradictions -- like life itself.

We are given a look into life and death from the point of view of a poetry scholar who has, in turn, viewed life and death in the abstract through John Donne's poetry. She, in turn, is viewed in the abstract by a renowned doctor who views life and death as a case in a bed and by the scholar's former student who doesn't know how to communicate with patients beyond superficial catch phrases.

This is a touching, powerfully filmed play guided by the witty, amusing, profound, and painful asides and soliloquies of the main character. Her only human contact seems to be through the compassionate nurse, the scholar's old teacher, and the audience -- the point being that we too often live our lives inside walled prisons of our own construction and then come to the end realizing that we had never lived at all.

The movie could easily have descended into melodrama but instead is gritty, prim, and gripping in its own odd way. See this one if you can.

Magnificent film. Very funny no matter of the serious subject. Emma deserved the Emmy and Golden Globe. What a pity that this movie was made only for TV. Her acting is superb. And she also write the screenplay with the excellent Mike Nichols who also gave HBO Angels in America this year. The story of a college professor who has cancer and find's out that people need some personal attention in life. When Demi Moore shaved her head, we've got G.I. Jane, when Emma Thompson did the same, we've got one of the best TV movies in recent history. The story with familiar theme with no clichés and no overly emotions. Very powerful and nicely done. A real masterpiece in the simplicity.

Having known far too many people who've gone through this, I can say without hesitation that they got the details nailed down when it comes to the effects of chemotherapy. Emma Thompson does her usual marvelous job and Christopher Lloyd does a surprisingly understated turn as her doctor. But the actress playing the nurse (Audra McDonald, I believe is her name) almost steals the film. I won't be the same for quite some time. Highly recommended.

A female professor--wry, canny, tough, fragile--goes through a wrenching medical experience fighting ovarian cancer. Made-for-cable movie looks great on TV, but would it also play successfully on the big screen? In this case, yes, but television--being a far more intimate medium--certainly allows the viewer a bird's-eye glimpse into this story about sickness. Just because "Wit" isn't on the movie screen doesn't mean it's not an all-encompassing, breathtaking drama. Director Mike Nichols hasn't been this focused in a long time (he flashes around in this woman's life with uncanny accuracy, and always returns to the present at just the right moment). The pacing of the movie is gentle but not doddering; this isn't a melodrama about pity, nor is it a medical expose or a squeamish thing with lots of needles. It is a quietly absorbing, exceptionally well-rounded chapter of a woman's life, and that woman--Emma Thompson, doing precise and brilliant work--is an embraceable subject. We let her into our hearts, making the finale that much more emotional.

This essentially-solo film features Emma Thompson as Vivien, a scholar of John Donne sonnets. Her intellect drives her away from contact with humanity, though the sonnets explore the meaning of life and death. Oh, and she is battling stage 4 ovarian cancer (`there is no stage 5'). Wit lives up to its title, with occasionally very funny musings and exclamations by the protagonist.

The cast is minimal, with only four other minor characters, including a very sympathetic performance by Audra McDonald as the primary nurse. Thompson is, as usual, excellent and convincing. The flashbacks of her professorial life fill out her character just enough to contrast with her present ill state. The rest of the cast are essentially stock characters bordering on stereotypes.

The soundtrack is minimal and amounts to background music in an elevator going to the basement. Cinematography is excellent and intimate, with no outside scenes; the views of the hospital are amazingly antiseptic.

Don't see this movie for the wit, though there are some laughs. See it for the excellent portrayal of a cancer victim who has an existential battle forced upon her.

Wit (2001) (TV), directed by Mike Nichols, is a film that depends for its power on the acting ability of its star. Fortunately, this movie stars Emma Thompson, who is always outstanding and is superb in this role. None of us know how we will respond when we are near death. However, few of us are in the situation in which Thompson's character finds herself. With her caustic wit and scholarly aloofness, Professor Vivian Bearing has cut herself off from friends, students, and colleagues. When she learns she has terminal cancer, she finds herself alone in the world.

This moving film benefits from the strong performance of Ms. Thompson, as well as an excellent portrayal by Audra McDonald of a nurse who recognizes that medical personnel can't always cure, but they can always comfort.

This is a grim movie, with somewhat hackneyed dialog spoken by the other supporting characters. However, the plot is so riveting, and the acting by Thompson and McDonald is so good, that this is definitely a film worth seeking out.

Adapted from a stage play. Wit is essentially a monologue opened up by director Mike Nichols.

This HBO cable movie was brought to the screen by Emma Thompson and Mike Nichols as co writers.

Thompson also stars as English professor Vivian Bearing who is diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Doctor Harvey Kelekian (Christopher Lloyd) suggests an aggressive course of chemotherapy. One of the medics treating her actually took her poetry course.

During the various stages of her treatment, Vivian reflects on her life. She was a hard as nails professor. Now she is being treated by doctors who are cold, clinical and less human, she wonders if she should had more empathy with the young people in her class.

It is always tough to see someone dying of cancer on screen. We see Vivian deteriorating as the film goes on. A line of poetry which is discussed in a flashback has true meaning when it is repeated later on.

It does contain a strong performance from Thompson but at times the film did not always capture me. However it did reflect doctors treating her as a product instead of a person.

Being a fan of Emma Thompson, I was anxious to see this....but wound up not exactly entertained, although I always appreciate her acting. Seeing a woman slowly die of cancer is not exactly an uplifting storyline, but that's what this is all about. I'm not surprised the film wasn't a big hit.

What the story specifically focuses on is Emma ("Vivian Bering") being the subject of an experimental drug. She is dying of cancer and by being the "guinea pig," she courageously can demonstrate how effective this drug is even though she knows it isn't going to cure her.

"Bering" is a cold, intellectual college professor who, through this ordeal, slowly finds out the importance of people treating others with more humanity. That sounds inspiring, but it's a tough movie to sit through. Critics called it "intelligent" because Thomposn's character used an extensive vocabulary as she narrated her experiences.

A so-so film but certainly not one I would watch a second time. Seeing Thompson bald and bitter throughout a good portion of the film wasn't fun, either!

So often one leaves the theater or presses re-wind with a thought taking the form of, "That was a really good film, but..." At the end of "Wit," I could not find a qualifier to complete that thought, and I still cannot. This film is a piece of perfection, tightly fitted but not contrived; dramatic without overstatement; and deeply moving without sentimentality.

It also comprises a tour-de-force performance by Emma Thompson, an actor whose performances are almost always extraordinary -- so the fact that this one stands out says a lot.

The dialogue (and monologue) is amusing, minimalistic but never too little, and is always sufficient to the scene. There is plenty of irony, wry humor, and understated insight; and yet the film, stark as it is, is abundantly human and, in places, even sweet.

At the height of the grinding sorrow that Thompson so skillfully brings us into, a startling scene between her old academic mentor is a loving act of redemption, shared by them both.

As an additional note, the surprising appearance of Christopher Lloyd in this film, as the research oncologist, provides a perfect foil for Vivian's role as a patient and as an academician. Lloyd's performance is convincing, and yet it contains just enough of eccentricity and kindness to make his character's disinterested role entirely sympathetic.

A wonderful film. Not -- be warned -- an easy film to watch, but decidedly worth it.

There are many comments already entered here that very expertly dissect and appraise this remarkable piece of film, so alternatively, I would simply like to express my love for the work, about the impact it had on me and the roller-coaster of emotions I experienced during its screening.

I feel I must start by underlining that the principal reason for this production having such a profound effect on me was the breathtaking performance of Emma Thompson. I don't recall ever having seen a piece of televisual drama portrayed so perfectly as this. So convincing was she, that it was easy to lose sight of the fact that this was in fact a portrayal of a terminally ill woman and not of a real life account.

Throughout the film I found that I was repeatedly asking questions of myself, in respect of the abhorrent circumstances of Vivian Bearing, particularly geared towards how I believed I would handle such a terrible situation. Not only that but how would I handle the fatal disease in Vivian's position i.e. no family or friends to comfort and care for you.

Vivian's almost entirely independent, personal fight against the inevitable was as challenging as it was distressing and it brings home to the viewer how much is taken for granted, by so many of us, on a day to day basis...family, friends, a sense of perspective and good health.

Again, I cannot eulogise Thompson's performance enough...a truly exceptional picture.

9/10

Watch it by yourself because if you've ever experienced a tragedy, this movie will move you to cry, cry, cry. If you're a man, you certainly may not want to let anyone see that, and if you're a woman, well, don't women get embarrassed when they cry in front of people?

I am very tired of the stereotypical Hollywood movie. This was not one of them. See it because it's different. This is a real movie.

I always wonder how can life be so beautiful and so tragic at the same time. If you're a real person, this same question has been puzzling you also. This movie doesn't answer the question, but shows you others can think about this mystery also. It shows you that you are not alone. Emma Thompson, Mike Nichols, Su Lin Looi, and the rest of the cast did an outstanding job.

The whole cast did an outstanding job in this movie, and just because I didn't specifically mention Jonathan M. Woodward or Eileen Atkins, it doesn't mean their performance was not equal to everyone else.

If you've been fortunate or young enough not to have experienced a broken heart, if you are fortunate or strong enough not to have any regrets, and if and cannot understand this movie, well, count your blessings. Many of us have regrets. There is nothing more humbling than suffering, grief, and misfortune to cause one to look back on ones mistakes in judgment with regret. The bottom line is that this movie is made for the ones who can not only see the beauty, but who can also see the tragedy that constantly surrounds us; tragedies that we will all experience at some point in our lives.

Sure I cried watching this movie. I cried for all the times that I didn't. I cried because I understood this movie. I'm glad I was alone.

This movie is brilliant, but incredibly hard to watch. The entire last thirty minutes I had a lump wedged in my throat, and I couldn't help but cry on three or four occasions. The pain of Thompson's character feels unbearably real. Throughout the film you develop a true understanding of the character, Vivian, and seeing this strong, independent, successful woman reduced to such weakness and vulnerability is very difficult. Yet the trajectory is conducted with such dignity - completely redundant of self-pity. It is incredibly moving.

At the heart of it this is a film about human life, scratched to the very bare surface and faced with a number of important and terrifying questions. Definitely worth watching, but be prepared for an extremely difficult 90 minutes.

Take, as a metaphor for reality, a ten-story building in which there are no stairways or elevators. You are born, live out your life and die on the first floor. You are told that there are more things 'up there' but you choose to ignore that, to restrict your universe of inquiry to only that which is visible. Of course, there is much on the first floor to understand much of which can be quite wondrous and the strength of the film lies in the fact that it takes that arbitrary exclusion of the upper floors -- imposed as it is by the spirit of the age, the materialist spirit -- and carries its inquiry into death as far as it can go. But are there any upper floors? Does reality extend beyond that which can be sensed? And does Vivian Bearing ('bearer of life') live on after death only in an artsy, mystical sense or is there more to it than that? The film leaves those questions unanswered. Indeed, it does not ask them.

I found the film's treatment of the hospital staff quite unfair. I have gone through 7 rounds of chemo myself and never encountered the kind of apathy, rudeness and icy reserve that the film depicts. It seems to me that the story might not have worked without these cartoonish foils but it grates on me nonetheless. Reality is the opposite.

A virtuoso performance by Thompson. If your are drawn to her acting, you must also see 'Fortunes of War'.

For better or worse, this feels like a warm-up (on the part of both Mike Nichols and Emma Thompson) for the much better HBO adaptation that was Angels in America.

Wit is essentially about a woman slowly dying while in hospital, and recalling various moments of her life while her health worsens to the point where death eventually seems imminent. I feel a bit bad not connecting with it entirely, because there's nothing awful here. I guess I didn't love the writing and how one-note it was, but Thompson was good as always, and I can see how some people might view this and find it quite moving.

It just feels like a solid - though not quite great - TV movie for me, with the fact that it's an HBO TV movie not doing a great deal to make it feel more cinematic. I could imagine it working a good deal better in the original stage show version.

Emma Thompson creates an outstanding portrayal of a woman with stage 4 ovarian cancer who endures horrific side effects of extremely aggressive cancer treatment that is still in its research stage. The movie emphasizes the way patients can so easily become a nuisance to healthcare workers and that many times they serve only as guinea pigs to physicians, especially those involved in medical research. Amazingly, of all healthcare workers portrayed in this exceptionally superb movie, one nurse ("Susie") is depicted in a way that should make the ANA proud. Susie acts as the patient's advocate and treats her with kindness, caring, and sees her as a human being who experiences very real effects of her illness and the disease process, the treatment she receives, and the situation she is in (facing a horrific disease and the possibility of death). This movie will make anyone reevaluate the healthcare system and what its goals should be.

"Wit" is an ambiguous tour-de-force by Thompson in which she plays a professor with terminal cancer undergoing chemotherapy in a hospital. A knock-off of the stage play, the film is a series of the dying woman's musings, contemplations, reflections, and sufferings. Shot much like a theatrical presentation, the film uses such things as talk-to-the-camera soliloquies; abstractions of the patient into flashbacks; and other contrivances which serve to negate empathy by yanking the audience back to reality. A somewhat stilted downer flick, "Wit" is the best of Emma Thompson in the wrong forum.

This is a never ending movie of pain, sorrow, and anguish. This is a classic case of nobody telling Mike Nichols that hey, Mike, you need an editor to cut this down to size. Maybe it was a 2 hour movie but it was indeterminable.

Emma Thompson is a great actress but you cannot place the entire burden of carrying a movie on one person.