Whose Life Is It Anyway? (film)
Whose Life Is It Anyway? is a 1981 American drama film directed by John Badham and starring Richard Dreyfuss. It was adapted by Brian Clark and Reginald Rose from Clark's 1972 television movie and 1978 stage play, all under the same title. Whose Life Is It Anyway? received a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 6.58/10.[2]
| Whose Life Is It Anyway? | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung | |
| Directed by | John Badham |
| Produced by | Lawrence P. Bachman |
| Written by | Brian Clark (play, screenplay) Reginald Rose (screenplay) |
| Starring | Richard Dreyfuss John Cassavetes Christine Lahti Bob Balaban |
| Music by | Arthur B. Rubinstein |
| Cinematography | Mario Tosi |
| Edited by | Frank Morriss |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists (United States/Canada) Cinema International Corporation (International) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11.5 million[1] |
| Box office | $2.2 million[1] |
Plot
Sculptor Ken Harrison is paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident, and is no longer able to create art, make love or have any semblance of his prior existence. Confined to a hospital, Harrison hires lawyer Carter Hill who, reluctantly at first, represents him to petition legally for the right to end his life.
Dr. Emerson, the hospital administrator, is staunchly opposed to euthanasia, and is determined to keep his patient alive even against his wishes. Dr. Scott, Harrison's sympathetic physician, develops personal feelings for him. She wants to keep him alive, even though Harrison's girlfriend, Pat, has accepted his decision.
A young orderly and a young nurse, John and Mary Jo (respectively), do what they can to keep Harrison's spirits up, even wheeling him to a hospital basement where they treat him to reggae music and marijuana. In the end, though, it will be up to Judge Wyler whether Harrison has a moral, ethical and legal right to choose to die.
Cast
- Richard Dreyfuss as Ken Harrison
- John Cassavetes as Dr. Emerson
- Christine Lahti as Dr. Scott
- Bob Balaban as Carter Hill
- Thomas Carter as John
- Kaki Hunter as Mary Jo
- Kenneth McMillan as Judge Wyler
- Janet Eilber as Pat
See also
References
- Boyer, Peter; Pollock, Dale (28 March 1982). "MGM-UA AND THE BIG DEBT". Los Angeles Times. p. 11.
- Whose Life Is It Anyway?, retrieved 2018-05-10
External links
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? at IMDb
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? at AllMovie
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? at Box Office Mojo
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? at Rotten Tomatoes