Bad Medicine (film)

Last updated
Bad Medicine
Bad medicine.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Harvey Miller
Written byHarvey Miller
Produced byArlene Sellers
Alex Winitsky
Starring
CinematographyKelvin Pike
Edited byO. Nicholas Brown
John Jympson
Keith Palmer
Music by Lalo Schifrin
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • November 22, 1985 (1985-11-22)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million [1]
Box office$2,685,453 (USA) (sub-total)

Bad Medicine is a 1985 American comedy film starring Steve Guttenberg, Alan Arkin and Julie Hagerty. The film was written and directed by Harvey Miller, and was based on the novel Calling Dr. Horowitz, by Steven Horowitz, MD and Neil Offen.

Contents

The film was criticized for its negative ethnic stereotypes. Although the film is set "Somewhere in Central America," it was filmed entirely in Spain. It was released by 20th Century Fox, and was one of three 1985 films to feature Hagerty in a starring role, the others being Lost in America and Goodbye, New York .

Plot

Below-average pre-medical student Jeffrey Marx (Guttenberg), after being rejected by prestigious medical schools, is sent by his father (Bill Macy) to a seemingly sub-standard medical school in Central America. He and his fellow American students struggle with exams, the effects of pep pills, and the language barrier. Jeffrey eventually discovers the plight of local villagers in need of medical assistance. With the help of fellow students (including romantic interest Hagerty, who steals medicine and prescription pads), he illegally provides medical services to the villagers, including delivering a baby whose enraged father had earlier shot him in anger. A comic scene shows three students trying to hide a stolen corpse. Eventually, the school's authoritarian, macho dean (Arkin) discovers the students' activities and decides to prosecute, while also trying to romance a reluctant Hagerty. However, the dean dismisses the charges at the urging of the villagers.

Reception

The New York Times gave it a mixed review and was critical of the ending, which the reviewer felt undermined what had gone before. [2] Most other reviewers in New York gave it unfavorable reviews. [3]

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References

  1. "AFI|Catalog".
  2. Goodman, Walter (22 November 1985). "FILM: HARRY MILLER'S 'BAD MEDICINE' (Published 1985)". The New York Times .
  3. "N.Y. Critics Opinions". Variety . November 27, 1985. p. 4.