After watching a “doctor movie” with friends one night, a discussion began about it, and whether we liked it or not. We then started comparing other movies where at least one of the main characters is a doctor. Some of the movies were made before my time. But, old movies never die, no matter how good or bad they are. They’re kept on a “cinematic life support system” because they’re replayed on the television over and over through the years. Oftentimes, you can find DVDs of these movies at your local dollar store. Read this interesting article about the top ten doctor movies and see if you agree!
Note: The doctor movies are listed in no particular order.
#1 Doctor Movie – M*A*S*H (1970) – Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould
This doctor movie is based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. Set in the Korean War, M*A*S*H portrays two skilled, but irreverent, wise-cracking surgeons Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre, at the M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) 4077TH. The movie
generated the Emmy-winning M*A*S*H TV series that ran from 1972 to 1983.
Watch the movie trailer for M*A*S*H here.
#2 Doctor Movie – The Fugitive (1993) Genre: Crime/Drama
Starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones
In The Fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble’s wife has been murdered at the couple’s home. The doctor is wrongly convicted of her death. On the way to prison to face a death penalty, Kimble escapes. Now he’s on a terrifying run for his life while he tries to find the real killer.
If you’re old enough, you remember “The Fugitive” TV series that ran from 1963 to 1967. It starred David Janssen.
Watch the trailer for The Fugitive here.
#3 Doctor Movie – Dr. No (1962) Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress
Fans of James Bond (007) know this top-ten doctor movie was the very first adventure for the wily agent. As a member of the British Secret Service, Bond has to find the killer who took out one of his fellow agents.
Watch the Dr. No movie trailer here.
#4 Doctor Movie – Doc Hollywood (1991) Genre: Romance/Comedy
Starring Michael J. Fox, Woody Harrelson and Julie Warner
Doc Hollywood casts Fox as a plastic surgeon. His race to fame and fortune in Beverly Hills gets sidetracked when he wrecks his Porsche on the way. Dr. Ben Stone ends up stuck in a country town where he runs into roadblocks everytime he attempts to escape.
You can download the Doc Hollywood movie here and here.
#5 Doctor Movie – Patch Adams (1998) Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring Robin Williams
This top-ten doctor movie is based on the real-life Hunter “Patch” Adams. He’s an offbeat doctor who believes in holistic medicine and humor rather than traditional medicine. The film starts out with Adams admitting himself into a mental hospital…
Watch the trailer for Patch Adams here.
#6 Doctor Movie – The Doctor (1991) Genre: Drama
Starring William Hurt, Elizabeth Perkins and Christine Lahti
The Doctor is about Jack McKee, a successful, arrogant physician who has the world by the tail… until the tables turn. When he is diagnosed with cancer, the doctor finds out what life is like being a patient.
Read more about The Doctor here.
#7 Doctor Movie – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi
Starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner
This top-ten doctor movie is based on the novella written in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson’s titled The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In his experiments, the “good” Dr. Jekyll transforms himself into his other side, the “evil” Dr. Hyde.
Watch a clip from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here.
#8 Doctor Movie – City of Angels (1998) Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan
This doctor movie portrays Cage as Seth, an angel who is waiting for a man to die during heart surgery. The surgeon (Ryan) tries desperately to save her patient, and her heartfelt distress touches Seth. His attraction makes him want to become human so he can know Maggie Rice. They end up falling in love, and then…
Watch a film clip from City of Angels here.
#9 Doctor Movie – Dr. Doolittle (1998) Genre: Family/Comedy
Starring Eddie Murphy, Oliver Platt and Ossie Davis
Who doesn’t remember the 1967 Doctor Doolittle that spawned the hit “If I Could Talk To The Animals”? Eddie Murphy took over Rex Harrison’s leading role as a veterinarian who can communicate verbally with his animal pals. Doolittle goes off on a wild adventure that you have to see to believe.
Watch the trailer for Doctor Doolittle here.
#10 Doctor Movie – Doctor Zhivago (1965) Genre: Drama/Romance
Starring Omar Sharif, Alec Guiness and Julie Christie
Based on the famous novel of the same name that was written by Boris Pasternak, this top-ten doctor movie won five Academy Awards. It follows the life of surgeon and poet Yury Zhivago (Sharif) before and during the Russian Revolution. He’s married, but is in love with another, amidst the trials and tribulations of the time.
The novel and the film were banned in the Soviet Union .
Watch the trailer for Doctor Zhivago here.
Resources
Kassidy Emmerson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UeYGS0UU6E
http://www.imdb.com/
www.wikipedia.org
http://www.torrentreactor.net/torrents/1095585/Doc-Hollywood-(1991)-(Widescreen)-Avi
http://www.mininova.org/tor/795484
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFSCuia2K5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKQdKRC2DVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnwjxKoWqK8
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/14143/The-Doctor/dvd
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index.jsp?cid=236857
http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/02/terrific-trailers-the-fugitive/
