DR. T AND THE WOMEN -------------------
LAURA:
Robert Altman is one of the great American film directors. He's developed a unique style, creating slices of life with large ensemble casts whose stories interweave and bustling scenes where one can follow several strands of overlapping dialogue.
With "Dr. T and the Women," Altman, again collaberating with screenwriter Anne Rapp ("Cookie's Forturn") gives us one of his more middling creations.
The film opens in Dr. T's office, which is in a state of chaos. Office manager Carolyn (Shelley Long) is almost winning a losing battle, keeping Houston society's elite ladies moving through three wittily named examining rooms. Dr. T's home life is also coming undone as his beloved but mentally unbalanced wife Kate (Farrah Fawcett) jumps nude into shopping mall fountains while his eldest daughter Dee Dee (Kate Hudson, "Almost Famous") plans her wedding. His alcoholic sister-in-law Peggy (Laura Dern) has also moved into his manse with her three young daughters.
Dr. T relaxes on hunting and golfing trips with three male buddies, but even the country club is invaded when a new golf pro, Bree (Helen Hunt), arrives and sets her cap for him.
Anne Rapp's fantastical script drips with female symbolism, from Kate's diagnosed Hestia complex to the constant water references which culminate in a fateful storm. However, only a few of the characters manage to make themselves stand out admist the throng.
Gere is fine as the sympathetic gynecologist being trampled by life and hordes of females. He's softer than usual here and it befits his character nicely. Fawcett is quite good reverting to a childlike state. Laura Dern is a real standout as the champagne guzzling whirlwind who plays at motherhood (Dr. T's maid Maria (Irene Cortez) is the one who really keeps Peggy's girls in control). Shelley Long gives a wonderful comic performance as Dr. T's right hand woman who's maybe too happy to hear about his marital woes. Janine Turner (TV's "Northern Exposure," "Cliffhanger") makes a welcome return to the screen as Dorothy, a serial patient who makes appointments only to get the reassurance she doesn't get from her husband (one of Dr. T's hunting pals).
Neither Kate Hudson nor Tara Reid make much of an impression as Dr. T's daughters, although Altman vet Liv Tyler fares a bit better as a suspect maid of honor. Helen Hunt makes a convincing golf pro and down to earth romantic foil for Gere.
However, why would the faithful Dr. T allow himself to be so quickly seduced after we learn that Kate's Hestia complex is suffered by 'women who are loved too much?' An amusing sideline is developed between Dorothy and an elderly woman in Dr. T's waiting room, but when the woman trips Dorothy with her cane, Dorothy blames the incident on Dr. T - nonsensical. The finale, which could be viewed as either a return to the womb or homage to "The Wizard of Oz," is pretty bizarre. The film could even be seen as misogynistic. The women are constantly presented as babbling hens (none of Altman's overlapping dialog here - instead we get a maelstrom of cackle!) whether in the waiting room, getting dress fittings or at a wedding shower.
Altman also makes a couple of visual puns using store signs (he pans up to the Godiva sign as Kate frolicks nude), but they seem out of place when the device isn't carried through. Big kudos to costume designer Dona Granata ("Cookie's Fortune"), however, whose work really helps define the characters and adds comic touches. Altman's son Stephen's production design nails the lifestyle of a wealthy Houston doctor and his pampered clients.
B-
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