Gross Anatomy (1989)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Thom Eberhardt

Writers (WGA):

Mark Spragg (story) and
Howard Rosenman (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

No one thought a rebel like Joe Slovak would make it through Medical School. But they didn't know Joe.

Plot:

A smart first-year med student takes nothing seriously, except the pursuit of his Gross Anatomy (human dissection) lab partner...

Plot Keywords:

College | Medical School | Medical | Illness | Cheating

Cast

Matthew Modine	...	Joe Slovak
Daphne Zuniga	...	Laurie Rorbach
Christine Lahti	...	Dr. Rachel Woodruff
Todd Field	...	David Schreiner
John Scott Clough	...	Miles Reed
Alice Carter	...	Kim McCauley
Robert Desiderio	...	Dr. Banks
Zakes Mokae	...	Dr. Banumbra
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Interviewing Professor
John Petlock	...	Interviewing Professor
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Interviewing Professor
Jan Munroe	...	Interviewing Professor
Kay E. Kuter	...	Lecturing Professor
Michael Flanagan	...	Lecturing Professor
Don Perry	...	Lecturing Professor
J.C. Quinn	...	Papa Slovak
Rutanya Alda	...	Mama Slovak
Brandis Kemp	...	Aunt Rose
Ryan Cash	...	Frankie Slovak
Angus MacInnes	...	Dean Torrence
Lisa Zane	...	Luann
Alison Taylor	...	Cynthia Wilkes
Michael Stoyanov	...	Joel Cleaver
Max Perlich	...	Ethan Cleaver
Bruce Beatty	...	Kelly
John Short	...	Resident
Steven Culp	...	Jerry Fanning Forrester
Scott Allan Campbell	...	Ed McCauley
Elizabeth Gilliam	...	Nina McCauley
Gordon Clapp	...	Doctor
Jack Murdock	...	Old Man Patient
Kimberly Scott	...	Nurse Louise
Diane Robin	...	Waitress
Rick Goldman	...	Truck Driver
Tom Kurlander	...	Student
Susanne Goldstein	...	Student
Beth Hogan	...	Marie
O. LaRon Clark	...	Food Server
Russell Bobbitt	...	Gunshot Victim
Frank Torres	...	Gang Member
Bill E. Rogers	...	Cop
Frank Foti Jr.	...	Cop
Pola Del Mar	...	Gang Member's Mother
Jesse Anthony Gonzalez	...	Gang Member's Father
Arlin Miller	...	(voice)
Greg Finley	...	(voice)
Paige Pollack	...	(voice)
Cathy Cavadini	...	(voice)
Steve Alterman	...	(voice)
David Randolph	...	(voice)
David Coburn	...	(voice)
Vernon Scott	...	(voice)
Susan Napoli	...	(voice) (as Stephanie Ryan)
Richard Penn	...	(voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Fleischer
Tracee Cocco	...	Med student (uncredited)
Walter Kim	...	Medical Student (uncredited)
Dana Vitatoe	...	Medical student (uncredited)

Directed by
Thom Eberhardt

Writing credits (WGA)
Mark Spragg		(story) and
Howard Rosenman		(story) &
Alan Jay Glueckman		(story) &
Stanley Isaacs		(story)
Ron Nyswaner		(screenplay) and
Mark Spragg		(screenplay)

Produced by
Carol Baum	....	executive producer
Sandy Gallin	....	executive producer
Debra Hill	....	producer
Howard Rosenman	....	producer

Original Music by
David Newman

Cinematography by
Steve Yaconelli

Film Editing by
Bud S. Smith
M. Scott Smith

Casting by
Judith Weiner

Production Design by
William F. Matthews

Art Direction by
P. Michael Johnston

Set Decoration by
Catherine Mann

Costume Design by
Gale Parker

Makeup Department
Edouard F. Henriques	....	makeup artist (as Edouard F. Henriques III)
Scott Oshita	....	special makeup effects artist
Elaina P. Schulman	....	chief hair stylist
Yolanda Toussieng	....	hair stylist
Brian Wade	....	special effects makeup artist: cadavors

Production Management
Morgan Michael Fottrell	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Coad	....	second assistant director
Bruce Humphrey	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Russell Bobbitt	....	assistant property master
Roger Del Negro	....	property master
Ildefonso Goris	....	greensman
Keith A. Kropf	....	head painter
Lauren E. Polizzi	....	set designer (as Lauren Polizzi)
Claude F. Powell	....	construction coordinator (as Claude Powell)
Mark Powell	....	construction foreman
Jerry Wax	....	lead man

Sound Department
Ken Beauchene	....	boom operator
William C. Carruth	....	adr editor (as William Carruth)
Craig Clark	....	supervising sound editor
Mike Dobie	....	supervising sound editor
David J. Hudson	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Kern	....	sound editor
Mel Metcalfe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Colin C. Mouat	....	sound editor (as Colin Mouat)
Jack M. Nietzsche Jr.	....	sound effects assistant (as Jack Nietzsche)
Terry Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jill Smith	....	sound effects assistant (as Jill C. Smith)
Ralph Stuart	....	sound effects assistant
James M. Tanenbaum	....	sound mixer (as Jim Tanenbaum)

Special Effects by
Calvin Joe Acord	....	special effects coordinator
Nick Benson	....	special effects

Stunts
Frank Torres	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard J. Cartwright	....	still photographer (as Richard Cartwright)
Jay Davis	....	grip
Scott Fieldsteel	....	best boy electric
Frank Keever	....	key grip
William Kenney	....	dolly grip (as William G. Kenney)
Ross A. Maehl	....	gaffer (as Ross Maehl)
Russell McElhatton	....	first assistant camera
Edward Morey III	....	camera operator (as Ed Morey III)
Joe A. Ponticelle	....	second assistant camera (as Joseph Ponticelle)
Phil Walker	....	best boy electric (as Philip Walker)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lisa Lovaas	....	costume supervisor
Kenn Smiley	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Richard Alderete	....	first assistant editor
Gillian L. Hutshing	....	assistant editor (as Gillian Hutshing)
Craig Kitson	....	assistant editor
Michael Mulconery	....	second assistant editor
Robert Raring	....	color timer (as Bob Raring)

Music Department
Tim Boyle	....	music scoring mixer
Virginia Cook-McGowan	....	music editor
Craig Pettigrew	....	music editor
Steven L. Smith	....	music preparation
Tom Villano	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Tom Briggs	....	transportation captain
Tom F. Thomas	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
William Bowling	....	location manager
Seth Cirker	....	assistant location manager
Alex Cohen	....	production assistant
Pam Cornfeld-Walker	....	production coordinator (as Pam Cornfeld)
Camille Griffin	....	first assistant accountant
Lin Hempling	....	assistant: Mr. Rosenman
Beth Klein	....	production assistant
Linda Klein	....	medical technical advisor
Rob Meisenholder	....	assistant accountant
Lloyd Nelson	....	script supervisor
Susan Halli Shaffer	....	unit publicist
Sharon L. Simon	....	production accountant (as Sharon Simon)
Leslie Sungail	....	production assistant
Yvette Taylor	....	assistant: Ms. Hill
Donn Warr Lewis	....	intern

Production Companies

• Hill/Rosenman
• Sandollar Productions
• Silver Screen Partners IV
• Touchstone Pictures

Distributors

• Buena Vista Pictures

Special Effects

• Makeup Effects Laboratories

Other Companies

• Buena Vista Sound  sound re-recording
• Buena Vista Visual Effects  titles and opticals
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Movie Movers  cast trailers

Also Known As:

A Cut Above

Runtime:

Canada:109 min | USA:109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hill/Rosenman

Goofs:

Continuity: When Joe chases after his roommate the night he reveals he knows about the pep pills, the door to the dorm building closes fully after his roommate exits, then closes again just before Joe reaches the door.

Quotes:

Joe Slovak: [confronting Dr. Woodruff after his roommate was asked to leave medical school] He's human. Not superhuman, just human. He did what he thought he had to do because he wanted to be a doctor more than anything else in the world and you ruined this for him.

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bell Rock

Interesting Caricature of Medical School

Having been through the first two years of medical school (including, of course, Gross Anatomy) it is obvious to me that whomever wrote the original material for this movie had some understanding of the precise pressures an fears that medical students suffer. Many people say that "medical school is difficult" and it is, but that idea gives you very little understanding of what really goes on that makes it difficult. Many movies get basic ideas essentially wrong - take "Flatliners" where the characters do hospital rounds routinely, although they are still just conducting Gross Anatomy classes (albeit in a dankly lit dungeon environment).

In Gross Anatomy, the basic characters you seen in Med School are there. David Schreiner, the guy who burns out, represents all the people who got in off the wait list and barely eek by, all the time hating the rest of the people who find it easier. Miles Reed is your typical "Gunner" who gets by not only by obsessing over every detail of class, but by incessant campus climbing. Kim McCauley is the lovable girl who seems oblivious and ambulant to her own performance (and will likely become the best doctor of the bunch). Laurie is the girl who "always wanted to be a doctor" and has a single-minded ambition to put nothing between her and her school work, much to the detriment of her social life. Joe Slovak is probably the least realistic character - there aren't too many happy go lucky people for whom medical school is so easy. You see jovial people around who never seem to get behind, but at the same time always participate in extra curriculars, but not with Joe's laid back, devil may care attitude, and certainly not his contempt for patients.

Many of the classroom and test scenes are sort of over-hyped - think about how many times they professors say, "People this IS Gross Anatomy". However, at the same time, there is always an importance placed on the seriousness of the school environment that hints at what the experience is really about.

I enjoy the movie because it does almost seem like an inside job in the medical field poking fun at many of the people and practices we see on the way to medical licenser and is only thinly wrapped with the hint of a storyline.

2 of 5 as a movie, but probably the best around as medical student movies go.