Matthau ostensibly plays a surgeon but it's kind of just an excuse for him to play a ladies' man character and for the characters to deliver medical puns.
Matthau's wife of decades recently died, but he might have been a lifetime bachelor for all you can tell. He doesn't skip a beat and begins going around with every woman who will give him the time of day. Really just an excuse to commit the novelty of 70s sexual liberation to film.
Apparently this lifestyle doesn't satisfy him and he strikes up a liaison with a short-haired immigrant who, while not exactly homely, is no knock-out, but at least she's age-appropriate and can hold her own in a conversation.
The performance is all over the place, with Matthau often acting like a jerk (or maybe just like a husband in a long-married couple?) and his new flame seeming to have almost no problem with whatever he does. I don't know if the film is trying to say middle-aged divorcees are desperate or if it's saying unmarried doctor's are so very desirable that they can do whatever they like and their partners don't care.
Anyway, it must be something like that if it's anything, because the romance isn't well-developed. The Matthau character makes a few jokes and argues with her a few times - true love?
There's also a bit about Matthau being forced by the circumstances into nominating an incompetent, mean, and senile older doctor to be head of the hospital's staff because otherwise there's a real chance he might lose his job at the hospital. On the other hand, he's continuously being urged not to do it as if he has any reasonable choice. Then it tries to shove some sort of morality tale about standing your ground and being your own man. Unwarranted and also unrelated to the romance.
Watchable but not very coherent or meaningful. The performances are the only redeeming quality. The doctor's girlfriend character can really talk and keeps poise despite all her hardships. It's a STRANGE direction for the performance to take, but it's well-done. The senile old chief of staff is funny as the a demanding and wily, yet incompetent boss, who only cares about the old boys' club and keeping power.
Portnoy and Matthau have some moments, but mostly it's really bad dialogue.
Good little airheaded film, but I can't in good conscious recommend you go out of your way to see it.
Honourable Mentions: Gross Anatomy (1989). Some guy in his late 20s or something decides to go for medical school and makes friends and strikes up a romance there. More serious yet also a more compelling and integrated comedy about hospitals than this one.
Matthau's wife of decades recently died, but he might have been a lifetime bachelor for all you can tell. He doesn't skip a beat and begins going around with every woman who will give him the time of day. Really just an excuse to commit the novelty of 70s sexual liberation to film.
Apparently this lifestyle doesn't satisfy him and he strikes up a liaison with a short-haired immigrant who, while not exactly homely, is no knock-out, but at least she's age-appropriate and can hold her own in a conversation.
The performance is all over the place, with Matthau often acting like a jerk (or maybe just like a husband in a long-married couple?) and his new flame seeming to have almost no problem with whatever he does. I don't know if the film is trying to say middle-aged divorcees are desperate or if it's saying unmarried doctor's are so very desirable that they can do whatever they like and their partners don't care.
Anyway, it must be something like that if it's anything, because the romance isn't well-developed. The Matthau character makes a few jokes and argues with her a few times - true love?
There's also a bit about Matthau being forced by the circumstances into nominating an incompetent, mean, and senile older doctor to be head of the hospital's staff because otherwise there's a real chance he might lose his job at the hospital. On the other hand, he's continuously being urged not to do it as if he has any reasonable choice. Then it tries to shove some sort of morality tale about standing your ground and being your own man. Unwarranted and also unrelated to the romance.
Watchable but not very coherent or meaningful. The performances are the only redeeming quality. The doctor's girlfriend character can really talk and keeps poise despite all her hardships. It's a STRANGE direction for the performance to take, but it's well-done. The senile old chief of staff is funny as the a demanding and wily, yet incompetent boss, who only cares about the old boys' club and keeping power.
Portnoy and Matthau have some moments, but mostly it's really bad dialogue.
Good little airheaded film, but I can't in good conscious recommend you go out of your way to see it.
Honourable Mentions: Gross Anatomy (1989). Some guy in his late 20s or something decides to go for medical school and makes friends and strikes up a romance there. More serious yet also a more compelling and integrated comedy about hospitals than this one.