Gross Anatomy

This movie has Matthew Modine playing a first year medical student named Joe Slovak. He's the antithesis of everything that a stereotypical med student is perceived to be. He's laid back, worldly, handsome, and not especially self-serving. At first I thought his character would be in the style of Robin Williams in "Patch Adams", where he'd end up being the rebel who believed that medicine lacked humanity and would lead a crusade to somehow change things for the better. However, he doesn't really seem to care about people enough to make such a change. While this apathetic lack of motivation might be realistic, it certainly doesn't make for a colorful character in a movie. He is surrounded by four other med students who, as any movie about medical school would require, are all driven to excel and are vilified as a result. The movie tells how these five people worked together to get through their first year in school. All the typical elements are here: cut-throat competitiveness, jealousy, elitism, ways of dealing with stress, and of course, the obligatory subplot involving the budding romance between two lab partners.

If you're thinking about going to medical school, don't use this movie to decide whether it's a good idea. It won't sway your opinion in any particular direction. However, aside from the way in which the characters are skewed, this movie will give you a good idea of what medical school might be like. Though, if you're just looking for a movie to provide you with entertainment, this isn't what you want. Go watch "Patch Adams" instead. It's of the same genre, and it's better. Unless you're medically inclined, I don't recommend this movie.