The Doctor

Jack McKee is a successful surgeon who has little patience for the people he treats. When he is diagnosed with cancer of the throat, he is admitted to his own hospital as an ordinary patient, and the experience changes how he sees his profession. He must deal with hospital bureaucracy, tests and waiting rooms, and trust colleagues whose judgement he knows is not always reliable. While he is ill he meets June, a fellow patient whose determination affects him.

Randa Haines directed the film, which came between Children of a Lesser God and Dance with Me in her filmography. Robert Caswell wrote the screenplay and Laura Ziskin produced. William Hurt plays Jack, with Christine Lahti as his wife Anne, Elizabeth Perkins as June, and Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin and Charlie Korsmo in supporting roles.

The film was released in July 1991 and runs 122 minutes. Made for a budget of 12 million US dollars, it took about 38 million US dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9 out of 10 from roughly 6,200 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. A critics' rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 21 reviews places it close to the IMDb figure.