You Don't Know Jack (2010)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Admirable film.

A Masterpiece!

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Al Pacino has done it again, not only fully inhabiting a real-life character we knew from TV reports but also investing his portrayal with late-life bravado, amusing eccentricity and stubbornness, and a caring and sensitivity towards the sick that must be present in order to understand the man once dubbed by the media as "Doctor Death," Jack Kevorkian. In the early 1990s, Kevorkian, a retired pathologist born to Armenian immigrant parents and situated in Michigan, assists in the suicide of a woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a woman who was lucid long enough to express her wish to die with dignity. A proponent on the ethics of euthanasia, the doctor--with the help of his housemate, his loyal sister, his lawyer (whom his sister discovered in a TV commercial) and a right-to-die advocate--would go on to fight endless battles against the legal system in order to keep assisting terminally-ill patients in their right to die, despite being surrounded himself by the deaths of colleagues and family. Although lengthy, this HBO presentation is masterfully written by Adam Mazer, who based his teleplay in part on Neal Nicol and Harry Wylie's book, "Between the Dying and the Dead", and beautifully directed by Barry Levinson, who shows a keen eye for small details, but isn't fussy about them (he doesn't linger over his points, which is in keeping with the personality of his story's champion). Terrific supporting performances by John Goodman, Brenda Vaccaro, Danny Huston and Susan Sarandon compliment Pacino's sterling work, while the film manages to be a testament to the human heart as well as an evocative document of our times.

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK is just a remake of half the celebrity biopix since THE JOLSON STORY. An admirable man courageously lives his dream, but his intentness of purpose comes with the disadvantage of personal isolation, a failure to achieve intimacy. This movie includes no meaningful focus on why assisted suicide is a controversial topic. Everyone in favor of it is good, good, good. Everyone against it is bad, bad, bad. There are only two points where admiration of Kevorkian might falter. One is when, despite not being qualified, he tries to defend himself in court. At that point, your admiration swings over to Pacino for putting in such a performance as the frustrated old man, his virtue of self-confidence and self-reliance revealing itself as a classical tragic flaw. The second flaw we see in Kevorkian is that he likes to paint grotesque, macabre paintings. What does that say about his attitude toward bringing death to his patients? You'd think it raises a question about his inner motivations, but not a single character makes the connection. Some don't like the paintings, one does like the paintings and in that way vindicates them to the audience, and the subject is dropped. All in all, aside from the spotlight on Pacino, the movie has nothing to offer but comfortable reassurance for those who believe in assisted suicide and closed-minded scorn for those who see another side to the issue as well.

Have you ever been seriously ill? Once you're told that you'll recover, you probably found it boring, more than anything else. What if you weren't going to get better? What would you do?Jack Kevorkian (played by Al Pacino) was a pathologist but, by the time we join the story he has left his career behind. His friends and colleagues say he's retired but Kevorkian (Pacino) states that retirement means you are no longer preoccupied with your chosen profession and that he is simply unemployed. Being unemployed, he has a great deal of free time and is intrigued by a local news story. A man who is paralyzed from the neck down wishes to end his life while the hospital caring for him is fighting to prevent it. Kevorkian had written several articles on euthanasia for foreign periodicals by that time and was now determined to make practical use of his theories. The hospital learned of his intentions, stopped him, and the patient died of starvation. Nevertheless, our protagonist continued his search for a patient. Assisting him in this quest, the doctor had longtime friend and colleague, Neal Nicol (played by John Goodman) and his loving sister, Margo (played by Brenda Vaccaro). In time, he is approached by a married couple, a woman suffering from Alzheimer's and her husband. This presents Kevorkian with an ethical dilemma, as Alzheimer's is not a fatal disease. Once Margo (Vaccaro) puts the matter in perspective, they begin devising a plan. While searching for a location, Kevorkian approached a member of the Hemlock Society by the name of Janet Good. Good (played by Susan Sarandon) offers the use of her home but later reneges. In spite of that, the plan is carried out and Kevorkian becomes national news.If you ask most people about the Right to Die movement, they'd probably tell you that reasonable people could disagree on the matter. Personally, I don't understand that, as I am an advocate of personal choice. Likewise, I believe this movie is incredible and cannot comprehend anyone thinking otherwise. Pacino has partnered with HBO on another project Phil Spector, about the renowned music producer. Maybe it's the fact that, deep down, Kevorkian is a sympathetic figure and Spector is not but, the latter film fell flat, at least for me. The story of You Don't Know Jack and supporting cast are incredible and Pacino himself won an Emmy for his performance, as he should've. I'm not sure how you'd find it, but you should absolutely see this film if you can.

This is a movie about Jack Kevorkian (1928-2011).He became known as "Dr. Death", being a physician-assisted suicide advocate.You Don't Know Jack (2010) is a TV movie directed by Barry Levinson.Al Pacino does a tremendous job as Jack Kevorkian.I saw on TV him winning the Golden Globe from his role , and Mr.Kevorkian was in the audience.It was a really sweet moment.John Goodman gives a fantastic performance as Neal Nicol.Brenda Vaccaro is terrific as Jack's sister Margo Janus.Susan Sarandon is brilliant as Janet Good.Danny Huston is marvelous as the lawyer Geoffrey Fieger.In this movie you also see Jack being interviewed by Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace, who passed away last month.The movie raises an important question, the euthanasia question.Is it right to end the suffering of a patient, or should it all be left in the hands of God or something.This movie is clearly on Jack's side, which is only understandable.And this movie does a great job bringing out the point of view.The trial in the end, where Jack works as his own lawyer, is drama at its finest.Really a great movie.