Critical Care

Man, talk about a missed opportunity. This oddly obscure medical film from prolific and uneven legend Sidney Lumet attempts to bridge the gap between comedy and drama, and although occasionally in succeeds (mostly in the snarky repartee between doctor James Spader... Full review

Werner (James Spader) is a resident at a large city hospital. He's just learning about the politics behind the supposed goal of saving lives, something his colleague, Stella (Helen Mirren) is already savvy on. This is especially true when Werner... Full review

Critical Care had a number of great actors and a worthy theme. Unfortunately, it badly squandered these resources with its over-the-top presentation and the use of the deus ex machina to rescue the supposedly brilliant doctor who is "the hero" and... Full review

Critical Care had a number of great actors and a worthy theme. Unfortunately, it badly squandered these resources with its over-the-top presentation and the use of the deus ex machina to rescue the supposedly brilliant doctor who is "the hero" and... Full review

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... Full review

Sidney Lumet shows why he is a unique voice in the American cinema with his take on the state of medicine in this country. Mr. Lumet, working on the screen play by Steven Schwartz, based on Richard Dooling's excellent book,... Full review

Well I liked this a lot. I have only seen THE NETWORK so far from the same director and I am more willing now than before to check more. Thought provoking as few films can be & having a context... Full review

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... Full review

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... Full review

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... Full review

But in "Critical Care," a drily funny satire about America's health care woes, the director's moral sanctimoniousness is in relative remission.....And Albert Brooks owns his scenes as Dr. Butz, the cranky, alcoholic, short-term-memory-challenged, certifiable director who analyzes incoming patients in terms of their health insurance.... ... Full Review

As one of his perhaps unjust detractors, it gives me special pleasure to rank Critical Care among his most felicitous and graceful achievements.....Although Critical Care does indulge to a certain extent in fantasy....But then Molière would never have provided such mesmerizing movie material as a character....Lumet Lambastes the Docs:....The wildly shifting moods of the film from pure cynicism to pure idealism may disturb viewers who prefer a consistent tone in their entertainment..... ... Full Review

Shawn's bits are amusing, but the intrusion of a ``spirit'' nibbles away at the film's realism. That modern medi cine is mercenary medicine isn't news, but the film puts considerable punch behind its study of moral dilemmas and the struggle to squeeze a little humanity out of the system. ... Full Review

The catch phrase for "Critical Care" could well be "I'm sick as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore. Lumet gives "Critical Care" a sometimes lumpy blend of realism and surrealism. ... Full Review

This is a surprisingly intelligent, low-key film that mixes black comedy with some thought-provoking questions about euthanasia. The best supporting member of the cast is Albert Brooks, recognizable behind glasses and shaggy a gray beard from his mannerisms. ... Full Review

NURSES brings together all the Digital Playground contract performers: Jesse Jane, Stoya, Shay Jordan, Katsuni, Riley Steele and Gabriella Fox, while mixing in visitors Sasha Grey, Jenna Haze, Shyla Stylez and Shawna Lenee. ... Full Article

Jennifer Culkin was a critical care nurse with specialties in neonatal and pediatric critical care. Midway into her nursing career, she mastered flight nursing, transporting critically ill patients via helicopter. ... Full Article

SYNOPSIS: Dr. Butz (Albert Brooks), is a natty, Scotch-swilling chief resident at a major metropolitan hospital. Suffering from chronic short-term memory loss because of his drinking, Butz doesn't recall summoning Dr. Werner Ernst (James Spader), a talented second-year resident, into... ... Full Article

Friday October 31, 1997 It says more about the intellectual vitality of Hollywood and the passive mood of the country than it does about 73-year-old Sidney Lumet that his excoriating satire of television, the 1976 "Network," is followed two decades... ... Full Article

In an intensive care unit, the fate of a comatose old man hangs in the political balance.His two daughters, who are jointly in charge of deciding whether he lives or dies, have diametrically opposed positions. ... Full Article

U.S. Distributor: Live Entertainment Critical Care is a daring motion picture that tries to tread the difficult line between biting satire and affecting drama. Had it successfully navigated this treacherous trail, it would have been a powerful motion picture. ... Full Article