Drama,Comedy
United States of America,Australia
Critical Care is a 1997 black comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Steven S. Schwartz. The film stars James Spader as Werner Ernst, a young and ambitious medical resident who is caught in the middle of a family feud over the care of a wealthy and comatose patient (played by Albert Brooks).
The two half-sisters of the patient, played by Kyra Sedgwick and Anne Bancroft, are both determined to gain control of their father's $10 million estate. Sedgwick's character, a scheming TV producer, is willing to go to any lengths to ensure that her father's money goes to her. Bancroft's character, a wealthy socialite, just wants to do what's best for her father and is willing to pay any price to make sure he receives the best care possible.
Werner, meanwhile, is caught in the middle of the power struggle. He is torn between his desire to do what is right for the patient and his supervisor's demands that he only care for patients with full insurance. Werner must navigate the hospital's legal team, who are pressuring him to side with one sister or the other, while also dealing with the hospital's quirky and eccentric staff.
The film is a biting satire of the American healthcare system and the ways in which it can be corrupted by money and power. It is both hilarious and deeply cynical, with Lumet and Schwartz using dark humor to skewer the greed and hypocrisy of the characters. Critical Care is a thought-provoking and entertaining film that will leave audiences laughing and thinking long after the credits have rolled.
