Having seen Jeff Daniels several times over the past couple of years in two critically acclaimed Broadway plays, I was amazed by the range of talent of an actor who in the 1980's and 90's was well known for comedy, sophisticated and juvenile, rarely seen in drama, but genuinely underrated in that genre. As Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird", he was superb, and was the toast of Broadway that season along with Bryan Cranston of "Network" who went home with the Tony in a very competitive year. The body of his film work cast him in rather zany comic situations, and while this farcical comedy about hypochondria falls into that category, it is too bizarre to find consistently funny and often creates eye rolls rather than laughs.
A great actor needs an above average script to really make an impact, as well as decent costars, and Daniels can only hold the film so much. He is a health freak who begins to get more and more paranoid after his best friend suddenly dies, and every situation in his life seems to surround either bizarre medical advice or kooky characters that just aren't funny. Wife Melanie Mayron becomes obsessed with sex which he puts on hold after becoming convinced that he's dying, and in a completely unfunny scene becomes aggressive and violent when he explains why he can't make love to her. Another unfunny scene involves Daniels with a rather bizarre rich man who rides off in his limousine with Daniels attached to his suit jacket which for some reason is caught in the door. What happens right after this is another unbelievable sequence with Daniels sneaking into the limo and discovering all sorts of health books.
There are definitely some sequences that are very funny but they are few and far between, although one moment with a truck filled with coffins begins to shoot them out. It's the inconsistency of the structure and mood that makes this impossible to truly love, although after seeing this it made me consider never going to a doctor ever again in my life. Daniels gives it his all, but he's surrounded by weirdos (including his wife, daughter and secretaries) who would make me want to go live in a cabin in the mountains. The corporate element of his job is also bizarrely portrayed, and I couldn't wait to find myself out of this bizarre rabbit hole surrounded inside by nobody other than health freaks all convinced that living outside the hole was their entrance to a slow and painful death. A slow and painful death is preferable than having to wait for the punchline to that silly, bizarre joke that the dead friend never gets to reveal.
A great actor needs an above average script to really make an impact, as well as decent costars, and Daniels can only hold the film so much. He is a health freak who begins to get more and more paranoid after his best friend suddenly dies, and every situation in his life seems to surround either bizarre medical advice or kooky characters that just aren't funny. Wife Melanie Mayron becomes obsessed with sex which he puts on hold after becoming convinced that he's dying, and in a completely unfunny scene becomes aggressive and violent when he explains why he can't make love to her. Another unfunny scene involves Daniels with a rather bizarre rich man who rides off in his limousine with Daniels attached to his suit jacket which for some reason is caught in the door. What happens right after this is another unbelievable sequence with Daniels sneaking into the limo and discovering all sorts of health books.
There are definitely some sequences that are very funny but they are few and far between, although one moment with a truck filled with coffins begins to shoot them out. It's the inconsistency of the structure and mood that makes this impossible to truly love, although after seeing this it made me consider never going to a doctor ever again in my life. Daniels gives it his all, but he's surrounded by weirdos (including his wife, daughter and secretaries) who would make me want to go live in a cabin in the mountains. The corporate element of his job is also bizarrely portrayed, and I couldn't wait to find myself out of this bizarre rabbit hole surrounded inside by nobody other than health freaks all convinced that living outside the hole was their entrance to a slow and painful death. A slow and painful death is preferable than having to wait for the punchline to that silly, bizarre joke that the dead friend never gets to reveal.