Dr. T & the Women (2000)

A wealthy gynecologist's ideal life is thrown into turmoil when the women closest to him begin to affect his life in unexpecting ways.

Director:

Robert Altman

Writer:

Anne Rapp

Stars:

Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Dr. T
Helen Hunt	...	Bree
Farrah Fawcett	...	Kate
Laura Dern	...	Peggy
Shelley Long	...	Carolyn
Tara Reid	...	Connie
Kate Hudson	...	Dee Dee
Liv Tyler	...	Marilyn
Robert Hays	...	Harlan
Matt Malloy	...	Bill
Andy Richter	...	Eli
Lee Grant	...	Dr. Harper
Janine Turner	...	Dorothy Chambliss
Holly Pelham	...	Joanne (as Holly Pelham-Davis)
Jeanne Evans	...	First Exam Patient

Storyline

Dr. Sullivan Travis "Dr. T." is a wealthy Dallas gynecologist for some of the wealthiest women in Texas who finds his idealist life beginning to fall apart starting when his wife, Kate, suffers a nervous breakdown and is committed to the state mental hospital. Dr. T's eldest daughter, Dee Dee, is planning to go through with her approaching wedding despite the secret that she's a lesbian and is romantically involved with Marilyn, the maid of honor. Dr T's youngest daughter, Connie, is a conspiracy theorist freak who has her own agenda to everything, while Dr. T's loyal secretary, Carolyn, has romantic feelings for him, which are not mutual. Dr. T's sister-in-law, Peggy, meddles in every situation she stumbles into, while one woman, Bree, a golf instructor, is the only one who offers him any comfort and salvation.

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Plot Keywords:

mental hospital | maid of honor | maid | conspiracy theorist | hospital | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic nudity and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English German Spanish

Release Date:

13 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dr. T and the Women

Filming Locations:

Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden - 8617 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,012,867, 15 October 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$13,113,041, 18 January 2001

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,844,291, 18 January 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, Sandcastle 5 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To make Farrah Fawcett more comfortable for her nude scene in the fountain, director 'Robert Altman' had cleared the entire stage of people, except for himself, the director of photography, and the sound recordist. To everyone's surprise, she refused to do the scene without the crowd, stating she was not at all embarrassed by her naked body. So the extras were let in, she performed the scene completely naked, and received a standing ovation from the crowd afterwards.

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Goofs

The toll-tag on Dr. T's car is first shown in the upper driver's side of the windshield and later it is lower part of the driver's side windshield (just above the registration stickers).

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Quotes

[first lines]
First Exam Patient: Whoo. So uh, so Dr T, I, uh, I hear your wife's sister moved back in with you a few days ago. Is that true?
Dr. Sullivan "Sully" Travis, "Dr. T": Yes it is. Peggy and three kids.
Dr. T's Staff: I'm sorry.
First Exam Patient: Uh, what is your wife's name?
Dr. Sullivan "Sully" Travis, "Dr. T": Kate.
First Exam Patient: Kate. Yes of course, Kate. Oh. And your wife's sister's name is?
Dr. Sullivan "Sully" Travis, "Dr. T": Peggy.
First Exam Patient: Peggy, Peggy, yes, Peggy. So uh how many children does Peggy have now?
Dr. Sullivan "Sully" Travis, "Dr. T": She has three.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

This film is dedicated to the memory of Tommy.

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Connections

References Zapruder Film of Kennedy Assassination (1963)

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Soundtracks

She's Already Made Up Her Mind
(1992)
Composed by Lyle Lovett
Performed by Lyle Lovett
Published by Michael H. Goldsen Inc./Lyle Lovett
Courtesy of MCA Records/Curb Music Co.
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Don't expect "Pretty Woman"

If you sit down to this movie expecting your average romantic comedy you're going to come away, as many of the reviewers here did, befuddled and probably seriously disappointed. I'm no high-art film critic, but I had the advance warning, of sorts, of having watched the previews on the VHS edition of this movie (of all things), which let me know not to expect anything ordinary from it. Plus it's Robert Altman, right? So I went into it expecting not to take things at face value -- and that's what you have to do to enjoy this movie. The idea is that you have this man who treats women with love, respect, and chivalry. He is surrounded by demanding women all day long, and yet the focus on the individual patients whose encounters with him we witness shows the truth of something he says to his friends: every woman is unique. And then we see the different ways in which the women respond: His office manager falls in love with him. His patients demand more and more (and are very well-directed). His wife goes insane because she's loved too much (a diagnosis as obviously unrealistic as hers HAS to have been written into the story for a reason). His daughters rely on him, shock him, disappoint him. His sister-in-law takes advantage of his hospitality while drinking herself into a stupor. His girlfriend (who is kind of a man's woman) rejects his chivalrous overtures ("I'll do it! I'll get it!"), is the only self-sufficient woman in the film, and ultimately rejects his offer for an interdependent relationship. All these combine to create a world whose stresses pile up until a surreal conclusion whisks Dr. T away to a completely different world... where straight away he's put back to work, and he delivers a boy. And who can blame him for being relieved.

Overall this is a movie I'm glad I saw once; it was an interesting experience. Kudos to Richard Gere for probably the best acting I've ever seen him do.