Gross Anatomy (1989)

A smart first-year med student takes nothing seriously, except the pursuit of his Gross Anatomy (human dissection) lab partner. It's up to her and their teacher to find a way to convince ... See full summary »

Director:

Thom Eberhardt

Writers:

Mark Spragg (story), Howard Rosenman (story)

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Daphne Zuniga, Christine Lahti

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Joe Slovak
Daphne Zuniga	...	Laurie Rorbach
Christine Lahti	...	Dr. Rachel Woodruff
Todd Field	...	David Schreiner
John Scott Clough	...	Miles Reed
Alice Carter	...	Kim McCauley
Robert Desiderio	...	Dr. Banks
Zakes Mokae	...	Dr. Banumbra
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Interviewing Professor
John Petlock	...	Interviewing Professor
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Interviewing Professor
Jan Munroe	...	Interviewing Professor
Kay E. Kuter	...	Lecturing Professor
Michael Flanagan	...	Lecturing Professor
Don Perry	...	Lecturing Professor

Storyline

A smart first-year med student takes nothing seriously, except the pursuit of his Gross Anatomy (human dissection) lab partner. It's up to her and their teacher to find a way to convince him to take his studies and life seriously.

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Plot Keywords:

gas mask | medical test | medical terminology | woman wearing a gas mask | stethoscope exam | 

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Taglines:

It Takes Hard Work, Discipline, And Committment To Get Through Med School. But Joe's Never Done Anything By The Book.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Cut Above

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$11,604,598

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hill/Rosenman,Sandollar Productions,Silver Screen Partners IV

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Daphine Zuniga has her rant was almost completely ad-libbed.

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Goofs

Joe Slovak's shirttails unroll during the final scene.

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Quotes

Interviewer: Tell me. Joe or Joseph, why do you want to be a doctor?
Joe Slovak: That's easy. I want to help people.
Interviewer: Come one Joe, you can be honest with me. Why do you want to be a doctor?
Joe Slovak: Well, uh, I want to make lots of money.

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Alternate Versions

There is another scene where the characters are all in a bar, and they are talking about their residencies. One version that was shown has a close up of the main characters at a table and one says, "I want to get a job, working in a quality hospital with quality patients." On Showtime's version there are camera scans to several other people in the bar. You hear the quote in the background, but do not hear who said the phrase.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Miami Blues/Vital Signs/Lisa/Chattahoochee (1990)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Bell Rock
Written by Joe Beal, Jim Boothe
Performed by Bobby Helms
Courtesy of Dominion Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

not to be confused with the "Anatomy" horror movies

i liked this movie.it's about first year medical students and what they go through.it focuses specifically on a small group of five in particular.it's a drama more than anything.it the first half of the movie is pretty light in tone,but the second half is much more serious in tone.in fact,there are two heartbreaking scenes in the second half, which got me pretty emotional.but that's just me.this is a very much a character and story driven movie and it succeeds,in my mind,at least mostly.the acting is pretty good.Matthew Modine, Daphne Zuniga and Christine are the main actors.all are likable characters,in their own way. .overall, well written,well acted movie.not great, but pretty good.for me,"Gross Anatomy" is an 7/10