You Don't Know Jack (2010)

A look at the life and work of doctor-assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Adam Mazer

Stars:

Al Pacino, Brenda Vaccaro, John Goodman

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Jack Kevorkian
Brenda Vaccaro	...	Margo Janus
John Goodman	...	Neal Nicol
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Linda
Todd Susman	...	Stan Levy
Adam Lubarsky	...	Brian Russell
Jennifer Mudge	...	Female Reporter
Jeremy Bobb	...	David Rivlin
Rutanya Alda	...	Vendor
James Urbaniak	...	Jack Lessenberry
Henny Russell	...	Oakhill Spokesperson
Henry Strozier	...	Oakhill Doctor
Sandra Seacat	...	Janet Adkins
Neil Brooks Cunningham	...	Rod Adkins
Susan Sarandon	...	Janet Good

Storyline

Dr. Jack Kevorkian (1928 - 2011 ) in the 1990s, when he defies Michigan law assisting the suicide of terminally-ill persons. Support comes from his sister, a lab tech, the Hemlock Society president, and a lawyer. The child of survivors of the Armenian genocide interviews applicants: his sister video tapes them. He assembles a device allowing a person to initiate a three-chemical intravenous drip. The local D.A., the governor, and the Legislature respond. In court scenes, Kevorkian is sometimes antic. He's single-minded about giving dying individuals the right to determine how their lives will end. He wants the Supreme Court to rule. He picks a fight he can't win: is it hubris or heroism?

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | moral dilemma | morality | suppressed truth | media manipulation | 

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Taglines:

This man wants you to die on your own terms.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

HBO [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

No conoces a Jack

Filming Locations:

Clinton Diner, Maspeth, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bee Holder Productions, Cine Mosaic, HBO Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbara Kopple was previously attached as director.

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Goofs

Kervorkian was tried in 1993 in Detroit Recorders Court, which was at the time housed in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, a brutalist modern building constructed in 1968. When he exits the courthouse in the movie, Kervorkian walks out of the 19th century Roman Baroque old Wayne County building.

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Quotes

Geoffery Fieger: The court of appeals' ruling just came in and they ruled in our favor. They said that the law was so poorly worded that it could not be upheld.
Jack Kevorkian: Oh. Well, I'm glad to hear there's still some smart people in power left.
Geoffery Fieger: That was the good news. They also ruled that there's no constitutional right to commit suicide...
Jack Kevorkian: I take back what I just said.
Geoffery Fieger: ...and that aiding in one falls under an old common-law definition of murder.
Jack Kevorkian: Common law? What the hell is that?

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.80 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 2 in D-Minor, BWV 1008: Courante
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Edited by Pierre Fournier
Performed by Yo-Yo Ma
Courtesy of Sony Masterworks
By Arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Quite a departure for Al

What a different role for Pacino! But, he was just as great and totally brilliant and believable in this quiet but driven, eccentric role as he usually is in his other roles where he furiously eats the scenery throughout.

I wasn't sure if his "Midwestern" accent was a Fargo caricature or if he was merely channeling Chief Dan George in Little Big Man, but it sure was interesting to hear an NYC Italian able to be so believable in his upper midwest accent that was located about 10 miles east of Minneapolis, or close thereabouts. Meryl Streep, move over.

The philosophy of this controversial subject is much more serious. America is so far behind the rest of the world in assisted suicide, as many countries now allow a person to die an assisted death for any reason, with no incurable illness or the like required. All it requires is a waiting period to be positive of the hard decision made. And here we are in the good old retarded USofA, still not allowing the dignified assisted death of terribly suffering and/or terminal souls who merely and quietly want nothing more disruptive than a personal, peaceful, and painless end to their agonizing day-to-day existence. (I totally agree with the rest of the world that it is as much or more an individual decision as is having an abortion and no political or religious entity should have any say in what a person makes up his mind to do in this matter. These intruding entities should not play any part at all in influencing and determining the right and wrong of it, as there is none to a rational thinker.)

All supporting roles were well done, with John Goodman bringing much needed comic relief at times to this achingly serious story. Brenda Vaccaro as the doc's conflicted sister and fellow death-with-dignity proponent Susan Sarandon were truly positive additions to the cast. Direction by the brilliant Barry Levinson was nonpariel and as good as his earlier Rain Man.

I truly hope this film moves the assisted death argument forward in America as it couldn't go any further backward, and more is the pity for that unevolved thinking.