Robert Altmans' 'Dr. T and the Women'

A physician heals himself in chaotic film

By Paul Tatara
CNN.com Reviewer

(CNN) -- Robert Altman's greatest talent as a director is that he somehow makes sense out of free-flowing jumbles of information. His best movies are onslaughts of meaningless chatter that eventually coalesce into biting essays on everybody's favorite lie, namely that America is the land of the free and the brave.

When he was at the top of his form back in the 1970s, Altman's work impolitely pointed out that democracy is just another word for rampant confusion. When Altman makes a bad movie -- and he does at least 50 percent of the time -- it's so terrible you can barely believe it. He likes huge ensembles, and much of his overlapping dialogue is improvised. It either works or goes up in a ball of flame; there's no middle ground.

His latest picture, "Dr. T and the Women," lacks the thematic depth of masterworks like "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971) and "Nashville" (1975). But it's a very entertaining semi-mess, and contains a handful of adept performances from stars (and former stars) who usually don't shine all that brightly.

"Dr. T and the Women" centers on the crazed life of "Sully" Travis (Richard Gere), a handsome Dallas gynecologist who prefers to be called Dr. T by his endless stream of jabbering patients. The tone is broad, but not as broad as Altman gets in his worst comedies.

Don't expect another "Pret-a-Porter" (1994), in other words. Dr. T anchors the story in real life when the swirl of women who run to him for physical and spiritual guidance seem ready to lift off and fly to the moon.

Altman and screenwriter Anne Rapp skewer upper-class female obsessions while holding the wide-ranging story together with a bout of self-discovery on Dr. T's part. The narrative is composed of two interweaving strands, one having to do with T's patients, and one that focuses on his soon-to-be-wed daughter, Dee Dee (the very funny Kate Hudson), who's a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

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Unless you're familiar with Altman's work, it's hard to convey the tone. Scenes that start off focusing on two people slowly build until seven or eight different characters are talking at once. The fun lies in figuring out who you need to listen to at any given moment. Some of the best lines are buried beneath monotonous banter, or are tossed in as disembodied voices from outside your field of vision.

Dr. T is constantly overbooked and behind schedule, which leads to a pile-up of variously complaining women in his waiting room. His trusty, too-loving assistant, Carolyn (Shelly Long), keeps things moving, but T is often overwhelmed by the turmoil.

Gere plays several scenes with women who have their legs up in stirrups, and Altman isn't above milking adolescent chuckles out of the image.

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Menopausal blathering rules the day, but the funniest patient, Dorothy (Janine Turner of "Northern Exposure" fame), is a hypochondriac who may or may not have a crush on her doctor. It doesn't help that her husband, Eli (Andy Richter), is one of Dr. T's hunting buddies.

Even with all the headaches, though, the office serves as a refuge from T's family life.

His wife, Kate (Farrah Fawcett) has had a nervous breakdown. She was arrested after stripping off her clothes and climbing into a fountain at the mall, and she's reverted to a child-like state. T has no choice but to check her into a psychiatric hospital. His champagne-swilling sister-in-law, Peggy (Laura Dern), is getting a divorce, so she and her two little girls have moved into T's home for a while. His younger daughter, Connie (Tara Reid), works as an especially blunt tour guide at the JFK assassination site. She may also know a troubling secret about her sister Dee Dee's beautiful, mysterious maid of honor, Marilyn (Liv Tyler).

Altman obviously cast Fawcett to take advantage of her legendarily bizarre "Where am I?" appearance on the David Letterman three years ago. She delivers a touching performance, although she basically disappears after the mall escapade. Kate's collapse isn't played for laughs; you really feel for her and can understand how such a glossy, supposedly perfect life could drive a person over the edge.

Hudson and Reid both favor airy line readings that sound like the product of a coddled lifestyle. Reid has a hilarious scene in which she frankly points out the exact spot on the street where JFK's "head exploded," and Hudson gets a lot of mileage out of Dee Dee's penchant for overdone fashion statements.

The funniest performer, though, is Dern. Peggy is forever sloshed on bubbly. Her focus wavers during important conversations, and Dern takes sudden pratfalls like a real pro. If people notice her amid the incessant commotion, she could get a supporting actress Oscar nomination.

Dr. T starts spending more time at his country club's golf course, partly to blow off steam, and partly because of Bree (Helen Hunt), the new golf pro who is sexy, sympathetic and willing to listen to his troubles.

Gere, for once, gives a real performance, rather than simply squinting elegantly. His scenes with Hunt are tender and plausible ... so plausible, in fact, that they don't really match up with the rest of the movie.

But that's OK. Altman has infused his latter-day tendency toward silliness with a surprising amount of warmth. Though the final sequence, which revolves around a catastrophic natural disaster, is too weird for comfort, "Dr. T and the Women" is a welcome return to form from a director who can't be bothered with anyone's expectations but his own. That's exactly what's been missing from American movies.

"Dr. T and the Women" contains a lot gynecological humor and some nudity. You also get to see a baby being delivered, up-close and personal. Overall, it's a giddy, engaging ride. Rated R. 122 minutes.

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