Altman's Latest Is Texas To A 'Dr. T'
Movie Shows Big D Women At Their Worst
I'm not a born and bred Texan, but I have lived in one of the greatest states -- no, strike that -- THE greatest state for nearly 22 years, but Robert Altman's newest movie, "Dr. T & the Women," puts the great state to shame.
"Dr. T," in all its Texas glory, shows how shallow and materialistic women can be, especially Big D (as in Dallas) women.
These themes overshadow the movie and that's a shame considering the all-star cast that Altman has lined up.
Richard Gere stars as "Sully" Travis, a gynecologist to Dallas' elite socialites. Farrah Fawcett is his wife Kate, who transgresses back to her childhood and ends up in a loony bin. Kate Hudson (a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader) and Tara Reid (a tour guide of the grassy knoll where Kennedy was shot) star as the beautiful daughters of the doctor.
Gere's life is as screwed-up as his pregnant patients, and it doesn't get any easier when Helen Hunt enters his life. Hunt plays an assistant golf pro at Gere?s country club, who is the complete opposite of the stereotypical Dallas suburbanite. She's a woman of independent means, takes care of herself, drives herself around, fends for herself and provides for herself.
Gere unfortunately doesn't see this. He's taken care of women his whole life. Fawcett's sister (Laura Dern) has moved into Gere's home with her three daughters. His own daughters want devotion at all moments, and an inane Gere thinks it's his duty to do so.
Dern can't get enough champagne, which makes for some amusing moments, but this satire is hardly worth all the good ol' boy money in the world.
And that's where the movie makes a mess of itself. It meanders through worthless dialogue and storytelling, and for what? To get to an ending that is pointless.
The characters are just plain weird. Hudson is planning a wedding, but it turns out that she is a lesbian and is in love with a girl (Liv Tyler) from, of all places, Houston. Reid plays the typical jealous younger sister who is constantly vying for her father's attention by telling him not to worry about her because "she's fine, just fine."
Then there's Gere's head nurse, played by Shelley Long, who herself is a complete mess and just adds to the muddle that Altman calls a movie. She?s had an undeniable crush on the doctor for many years, and it all comes to a head when Gere finds out some crushing news.
Gere is about the best thing in this movie and that's not saying much. After the letdown of this summer's "Autumn in New York," Gere needed something to bring him back to the forefront. He gets better looking with age, but I'm afraid his mind must be going because he keeps picking bombs.
The movie is over-the-top, typical Texas flamboyance. And while the women are all clich?d and trite Texas women (hence all the blonde hair), it doesn't do any wonders for Texas' tourism business. Certainly the women know how to dress well, drink well and buy Tiffany jewelry well, but when you get down to it, it's all an act -- just not a very good one.
Gere is the only one worth watching and even buying a ticket for, and while he's certainly no J.R. or Bobby Ewing, he plays Texas to a perfect T.
