Suicidez-moi docteur

I saw this about twenty years ago and remembered liking it. Came across a negative mention of it online recently which led me to looking at reviews and seeing the general opinion of it isn't that high. But the same is true for most Burt Reynolds movies I like so I decided to give it a shot and see if my opinion had changed since the first viewing. The short answer is no, it hasn't. I enjoyed the movie still but I can see why others might not. It's a particular style of humor that Reynolds is arguably not suited for. Think more Albert Brooks or Elliott Gould. But it's got plenty going for it, if you can make it past the first ten or fifteen minutes where Reynolds' character's whining is very annoying. The biggest plus is that the supporting cast full of recognizable faces is good. There are also bits of weirdness that keep it interesting like Robby Benson's childish priest or the bizarre scene where the camera lingers on Sally Field's body double's cleavage. Reynolds directed by the way. It's a dark comedy about an unlikable neurotic facing death starring an actor most known for "good old boy" comedies. But it's not the disaster you might think. Ringing endorsement!

"The End" is a black comedy that should have been even darker. Had it been I think it would have been regarded as a classic. Burt Reynolds stars as a man who finds out he's dying and decides he's going to kill himself. After a lackluster start where Burt sees his parents, his daughter, etc., he goes into action. And that's when the film buckles down and takes control for the last half.

After a failed suicide attempt Burt is placed in a mental hospital where he meets fellow patient Dom DeLuise, who is as nutty as a loon. Dom decides to help Burt fulfill his dream of suicide and the laughs keep coming. Dom is so good in this film that we really miss him every time he's off screen. Burt is good in the film and has a classic moment at the end when delivers an impassioned soliloquy to God. That is worth the price of admission (or video rental), if you see it in its un-cut form.

Directed by, and starring, Burt Reynolds, this is comedy about a salesman learning he has only months to live is in Woody Allen territory. The script has joke upon joke, few of them demanding to begin with, but then embellished by bits of business that are a little distracting.

Well, I'm giving the elements credit because it's not that easy to make a comedy about having a terminal illness. Dabney Coleman managed to inject a few funny boluses into "Short Time" but "The Bucket List" was a slapdash affair providing an excuse for two older (but sometimes magnificent) actors to do the things we wish we had done. I almost hate to say it but arguably the most entertaining comedy about dying is the Rock Hudson and Doris Day film, "Send Me No Flowers."

Burt's direction of "The End" is function and lapses only into one easy cliché -- a man wakes up sweating and thrusts his goggle-eyed face into the camera. He also drags out amusing moments. The script by Jerry Belson is fast and touches the bases. It may depend a bit much on obvious jokes -- "I told you not to cuss, Godammit." But it more than makes up for such weaknesses.

Eg., Burt goes to make his last confession. The priest is Robby Benson, who looks about fifteen years old. Burt uneasily explains that he has a little difficulty calling him "Father" so the priest suggests Burt just call him Dave. In the confessional, Burt begins with, "Bless me, Dave, for I have sinned." And when the priest isn't regaling Burt with his OWN confession about lust and ambition, he flosses his teeth while listening to Burt talk about infidelity. Burt is doing his best to get organized but there is the intermittent "pluck" and "plick" from the other side of the confessional window.

I really like Burt Reynolds. He's the least prepossessing movie star who ever breathed. Confident enough to be self deprecating in public despite his dark handsomeness. Cary Grant would never have made fun of his own ouvre the way Burt did at an Academy Award presentation by portentously rattling off a string of his own hits, like "Navajo Joe" and "Sam Whiskey."

He can handle serious drama well and with the proper plot he excels, as in "Deliverance." But his ordinariness doesn't seem to work well with comedy. What you get without cultivation is lowbrow slapstick that sometimes is more silly than witty. As a performer Burt has a certain range but comedy broaches the perimeter of possibilities.

For a guy diagnosed with a terminal disease, Burt Reynolds sure pumped a lot of life into this film.

This is the ultimate in black comedies, a man is told he's got a little over a year to live. We would all react in different ways. Burt Reynolds gets this cheerful bit of news and goes immediately berserk and starts acting all kinds of crazy.

Of course everyone around him sees him differently. Wife Joanne Woodward, girl friend Sally Field, parents Pat O'Brien and Myrna Loy. Burt pushes all their buttons except O'Brien who seems oblivious to all.

Reynolds always had a marvelous gift for comedy that in his prime period of the seventies was utilized rather well. His career seemed to go in the same path as Tom Selleck's, I think they could have played a lot of each other's parts.

Of course it was nice to see two veterans of old Hollywood, Myrna Loy and Pat O'Brien in support. They never disappoint.

My favorites though are Strother Martin as the officious head of a mental institution where Reynolds gets committed after some bizarrely unsuccessful suicide attempts and Dom DeLuise as another patient there.

DeLuise when he gets going approaches Robin Williams kind of zaniness and he was working on all cylinders in this film. He's ready to offer all kinds of help to Burt to fulfill his mission.

Burt Reynolds was one of the great action and dramatic stars of the 20th Century. He was also hysterically funny. This movie about a very serious topic-a man dying and coming to terms with the Knowledge-is very funny. Dom Deluise is hysterical and a great partner for Reynolds. Sally Field plus the straight role with Grace. The supporting cast is very good-Norman Fell as the Dr and Robby Benson as the young priest. The comedic direction is masterful in the underrated, now classic comedy. This holds up well.