BEFORE: No movie yesterday - I was dealing with the failing health of our oldest cat, Merlin, whose health problems I've mentioned before. I stayed up all night watching him, and since he was too weak to walk we had to take him to the vet for the last time. So it's been a pretty sad day, but we took comfort in the fact that he was twenty years old, which is older than most cats get. And I was lucky to spend so much time with the best cat in the world. I know, everyone thinks their cat is the best, but let's face it, we can't all be correct, now, can we?
This film came into my collection a few months after my Denzel Washington police/action chain, so I'll kick off a follow-up mini Denzel chain tonight. Linking from "Baby Mama", Steve Martin was in "Grand Canyon" with Kevin Kline, who was in "Cry Freedom" with Denzel Washington (last seen in "Inside Man").
THE PLOT: A down-on-his luck father, whose insurance won't cover his son's heart transplant, takes the hospital's emergency room hostage until the doctors agree to perform the operation.
AFTER: I'd normally be against an action film that also tries to serve as a commentary on the U.S. health/insurance system (pre-Obamacare, that is), AND an endorsement for organ-donor programs, but they got lucky with this one and it all sort of works together. John Q is willing to go to extremes to get attention for his son's plight - most people would host a fund-raiser or solicit charitable contributions, but I guess taking hostages is quicker.
I could nitpick about how relatively calm things remain within the emergency room (despite dealing with the you, know, medical emergencies) - most of the hostages sympathize with the man's plight, so they end up being very helpful and willing to cooperate. Is this some variation on Stockholm syndrome, or just the Hollywood-ization of a crime scene? Can the main character commit a crime, admittedly for a good reason, but still remain a hero? Seems like maybe you can't have it both ways, unless you walk a really thin line.
NITPICK POINT: Another character, the head bean-counter at the hospital, is against the son's heart transplant due to the cost, and she acts like a royal bitch when she demands cash up front before putting the boy on the transplant list. But in order for the plot to progress, she must have put him on the list at some point. When did the change in her attitude take place, and what caused it? You can't just show a character being pensive in place of actual action.
I swear that I had this film scheduled for today well in advance - I didn't know I'd be spending part of my day in a hospital, dealing with some of the same questions about what lengths to take to preserve life, and when to let go. Turns out they don't do heart transplants for kitties, so it wouldn't have done me any good to demand one. I do sort of wish I'd fought harder for my cat, but I'd been arguing his case with the doctors for months - and though we took all the actions we could to prolong his life, it was the quality of his life that was really starting to suffer. We did what we could to make him comfortable at home, with the knowledge that he might only have a short time left. It's a sucky system that's beyond my power to change.
Also starring James Woods (last seen in "Be Cool"), Robert Duvall (last seen in "Crazy Heart"), Anne Heche (last seen in "The Juror"), Ray Liotta (last seen in "Date Night"), David Thornton (last seen in "A Civil Action"), Ethan Suplee (last seen in "Fanboys"), Kevin Connolly, Eddie Griffin
RATING: 7 out of 10 ambulances
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