The House of God (1984)

Follow a group of interns in a large teaching hospital. When Jo, Chief Resident, has a breakdown the interns are reluctantly placed under the tutelage of the senior resident known as The ... See full summary »

Director:

Donald Wrye

Writers:

Samuel Shem (based on the novel by) (as Samuel Shem M.D.), Donald Wrye (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Matheson, Charles Haid, Michael Sacks

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Matheson	...	Roy Basch
Charles Haid	...	Fats (The Fatman)
Michael Sacks	...	Wayne Potts
Lisa Pelikan	...	Jo Miller
Bess Armstrong	...	Cissy Anderson
George Coe	...	Dr. Leggo
James Cromwell	...	Officer Quick
Ossie Davis	...	Dr. Sanders
Richard Brestoff	...	Howie Greenspoon
Leo Burmester	...	Dr. Gath
Kathryn Dowling	...	Molly
Charles Fleischer	...	Hyper Hooper
Malachy McCourt	...	Officer Gillheeny
Joe Piscopo	...	Dr. Fishberg
Michael Richards	...	Dr. Pinkus

Storyline

Follow a group of interns in a large teaching hospital. When Jo, Chief Resident, has a breakdown the interns are reluctantly placed under the tutelage of the senior resident known as The Fatman. Like "M*A*S*H," "The Hospital" and "St. Elsewhere" (which is drawn from this story) this film is closer to the truth than the public wants to know.

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Plot Keywords:

medical | medical scrubs | surgical scrubs | stethoscope | latex gloves | 

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Taglines:

Every year in July, 6,000 young Men and Women leave the comfort and safety of medical school confident in the knowledge that they will become interns in the greatest system of medical care in the History of the universe. Some actually survive.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Never released theatrically; it debuted on cable TV.

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Goofs

The Fat Man refers to a bed position where the head of the bed is lower than the foot as "the Hindenburg." The proper term for this bed position is "Trendelenburg."

User Reviews

This house is condemned

United Artists never theatrically released this movie, often claimed because of the hectic going-ons at UA during the time of its completion (the studio was still recovering from HEAVEN'S GATE, the studio had been sold to MGM, and there was new management.) Looking at the completed movie itself, I think UA saw it being simply uncommercial, especially seeing how they also shelved it for several years. I've never read the book, but the movie is a mess. There's no real plot to speak of, the characters are barely sketched out, and things seemingly happen at random. In fact, a lot of scenes have a strong feeling of improvisation. The biggest sin the film makes is that the supposedly humorous moments simply aren't funny - and as you probably know, there's nothing worse than a comedy that isn't funny. Even the talented (and yet-to-be famous) cast can't do anything with the lame material.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The House of God

Filming Locations:

Boston Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)