Dr. T and the Women
© James C. Hess
How did I know this?
First, "Dr. T and the Women" is an ensemble cast. Few film and movie directors working today attempt ensemble works, and those who do rarely succeed. Which means one can figure out the director of "Dr. T and the Women" without much mental effort. Throughout his career Altman has managed ensemble casts like nobody.
Second, "Dr. T and the Women" is a regional piece. Again, directors today don't give much time to such efforts, instead preferring broad stroke efforts that appeal to the largest audience possible. So when a director has the courage to do so, again, figuring out the director is fairly simple.
Third, despite this being an ensemble effort, there is a central character, and that character is a fantasy version of a certain person:
Robert Altman.
In "Dr. T and the Women" , the central character, the fantasy, is named Dr. T. (Richard Gere) He is a gynecologist. Sweet, kind, tactful, weary, and a woman's sex fantasy.
As a gynecologist Dr. T works for and with women. He also dares to love them, to respect them, to admire them, to envy them.
Something Robert Altman does as well. Something no other director since Ingmar Bergman has done.
Consider all this and determining the director of "Dr. T and the Women" is easy pie.
That said, consider this: All this could lead to commercial success for "Dr. T and the Women" but in the long term it won't.
Throughout his career as director Robert Altman has created entire films and movies around women. But not just any women. Women like Shelley Duvall, who one wouldn't expect to exude sexuality, honesty, and believability, but who do, and who, because of these elements, cause cult classics to be born: "Nashville", "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean", "Cookie's Fortune", "Brewster McCloud", "Three Women", and "M*A*S*H*".
In "Dr. T and the Women" Altman repeats what he has done before: In Dallas (TX) there is a world of women--young, old, weird, wild, wonderful--who live and live well because they have everything they need.
Perhaps too much of what they need.
As noted, although this is an ensemble effort, there is a central character: Dr. T. (Gere), a gynecologist, who cares about his patients--women. He counsels them, he lets them break the rules of the exam room (one smokes while he checks her). And he trusts the women who mostly fill his life. His wife, Kate (Farrah Fawcett), his daughters, Dee Dee (Kate Hudson), Connie (Tara Reid).
