Dr T and the Women film review

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DR T AND THE WOMEN

Veteran director Robert Altman thrives in the company of ensemble casts - look no further than such classics as M.A.S.H, Nashville, The Player and Short Cuts.

Unfortunately, his reach occasionally exceeds his grasp, and while Dr T And The Women is nowhere near as shambolic as Pret-a-Porter, it is a sizeable disappointment.

Dr T (Gere) is a well respected gynaecologist who loves women. His gentle touch and charming bed side manner make him an instant hit with his female patients. Loyal assistant Carolyn (Long) would dearly love to take their relationship beyond the professional, but Dr T is married to a deeply unstable wife, Kate (Fawcett).

Their union may not be happy, but Dr T feels obliged to help Kate come to terms with her illness; plus he has two daughters Dee Dee (Hudson) and Connie (Reid) who worship the ground he practices on. Craving emotional and physical support, the doc turns to pretty golf pro Bree (Hunt), who teachers at the nearby country club. Trouble looms large when Dee Dee's best friend Marilyn (Tyler) arrives in town, throwing Dr T's precariously ordered universe into chaos.

Dr T And The Women boasts many of the Altman trademarks, notably a dazzling single-take opening sequence in the doc's waiting room, and clever cross-cutting of the interlocking storylines.

However, the plot lacks focus and none of the characters are particularly likeable or sympathetic. Gere's wooden performance never endears us to the medic as he struggles with his late mid-life crisis, and Hunt lacks her usual sparkle.

Supporting performances are more impressive - Fawcett imbues her wife with a heart-rending vulnerability and Long is glorious as the lusty assistant - but these characters still lack depth.

The pace accelerates considerably in the final 20 minutes, culminating in Dee Dee's unforgettable wedding, which brings many of the key characters together.

The film concludes with a storm sweeping through the town. Altman should count himself lucky that some of his two-dimensional characters aren't blown away by the gale force winds.