Gross Anatomy (1989)

A fisherman's son goes through medical school with a bad attitude, especially in cadaver class.

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 | stethoscope exam | basketball | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matthew Modine was not the first choice to play Joe Slovak.

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Goofs

When asked for the AV valves separating the atria and ventricles in the heart, Slovak starts with the Tricuspid valve and then abruptly gets "buzzed" incorrect. That is actually correct, and the Bicuspid (Mitral) valve being the other.

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Quotes

Laurie Rorbach: Are you following me?
Joe Slovak: Well, I have to you see. I've told everybody I know we're dating. So, you see I have to be seen with you outside of class or they'll think I'm lying.

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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 WWE Raw: Casket? (1994)

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Soundtracks

I'll Be There
Written by Mickey Thomas, Craig Chaquico (as Craig Choquito) and Steve Diamond (as Steven Diamond)
Performed by Jefferson Starship
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

Interesting Caricature of Medical School

Having been through the first two years of medical school (including, of course, Gross Anatomy) it is obvious to me that whomever wrote the original material for this movie had some understanding of the precise pressures an fears that medical students suffer. Many people say that "medical school is difficult" and it is, but that idea gives you very little understanding of what really goes on that makes it difficult. Many movies get basic ideas essentially wrong - take "Flatliners" where the characters do hospital rounds routinely, although they are still just conducting Gross Anatomy classes (albeit in a dankly lit dungeon environment).

In Gross Anatomy, the basic characters you seen in Med School are there. David Schreiner, the guy who burns out, represents all the people who got in off the wait list and barely eek by, all the time hating the rest of the people who find it easier. Miles Reed is your typical "Gunner" who gets by not only by obsessing over every detail of class, but by incessant campus climbing. Kim McCauley is the lovable girl who seems oblivious and ambulant to her own performance (and will likely become the best doctor of the bunch). Laurie is the girl who "always wanted to be a doctor" and has a single-minded ambition to put nothing between her and her school work, much to the detriment of her social life. Joe Slovak is probably the least realistic character - there aren't too many happy go lucky people for whom medical school is so easy. You see jovial people around who never seem to get behind, but at the same time always participate in extra curriculars, but not with Joe's laid back, devil may care attitude, and certainly not his contempt for patients.

Many of the classroom and test scenes are sort of over-hyped - think about how many times they professors say, "People this IS Gross Anatomy". However, at the same time, there is always an importance placed on the seriousness of the school environment that hints at what the experience is really about.

I enjoy the movie because it does almost seem like an inside job in the medical field poking fun at many of the people and practices we see on the way to medical licenser and is only thinly wrapped with the hint of a storyline.

2 of 5 as a movie, but probably the best around as medical student movies go.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gross Anatomy

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,830,387, 22 October 1989

Gross USA:

$11,604,598

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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