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Critical Care
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Critical Care (1997) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2)
Critical Care (1997) -- Open-ended Trailer from Live Video
Critical Care (1997) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   847 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Richard Dooling (novel)
Steven Schwartz (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Critical Care on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 October 1997 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
At Memorial Hospital no one ever dies... Until their insurance runs out.
Plot:
Werner Ernst is a young hospital resident who becomes embroiled in a legal battle between two half-sisters... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
A huge BOMB, despite the well known cast and director more (10 total)
US TV Schedule:

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Spader ... Dr. Werner Ernst

Kyra Sedgwick ... Felicia Potter

Helen Mirren ... Stella

Anne Bancroft ... Nun

Albert Brooks ... Dr. Butz

Jeffrey Wright ... Bed Two
Margo Martindale ... Constance 'Connie' Potter

Wallace Shawn ... Furnaceman
Philip Bosco ... Dr. Hofstader

Colm Feore ... Richard Wilson

Edward Herrmann ... Robert Payne
James Lally ... Poindexter
Harvey Atkin ... Judge Fatale
Al Waxman ... Sheldon Hatchett (a Lawyer)
Hamish McEwan ... Dr. Hansen
more
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Özel ilgi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Cuidados Intensivos (Portugal) (video title) [pt]
En estado crítico (Spain) [es]
O Impaciente (Brazil) [pt]
Se mi amate (Italy) [it]
Sterben und erben (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Teholla (Finland) [fi]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality.
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Dr. Werner Ernst: If he's going to die, why should we proceed?
Dr. Butz: Where have you been all your life? It's called revenue!
more
Movie Connections:
References The Terminator (1984) more
Soundtrack:
Quintet in G Minor, K516 more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
1 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
A huge BOMB, despite the well known cast and director, 14 January 2007
1/10
Author: Amy Adler from Toledo, Ohio

Werner (James Spader) is a resident at a large city hospital. He's just learning about the politics behind the supposed goal of saving lives, something his colleague, Stella (Helen Mirren) is already savvy on. This is especially true when Werner meets a beautiful young model (Kyra Sedgwick) whose father is a comatose patient at the hospital. It is the model's opinion that her father should be taken off life support; her sister insists that the father communicates with her (by squeezing her hand) and that he can recover. Although the model seems sincere in her concern for her father's state, it turns out that she will inherit a large sum of money upon his death. Which way will the winds blow through the halls of the hospital? This is an awful movie, just awful. For those attracted to the smiling Spader and Sedgwick on the video's cover, get over it. Although the actors are not the film's weakest point, they do an I'm-working-for-a-paycheck job at best. (How they convinced Mirren to join the film, I'll never know). And, there is absolutely no comedy in the film at all, just one depressing scene after another. Lumet, despite his reputation, is to be faulted mightily for the poor direction, and the script is beyond abysmal. Do not waste your time with this movie, unless you just want to see what a film "bomb" really is. It is a failure, and not even an interesting one, at that.

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