Gray's Anatomy (1996)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Wow, a great film. It is one of a kind, so I can't compare it to anything else. Those of us from the 60s who knew the weirdos Spaulding consulted, especially enjoyed the film. His ability to enter the skin of so many characters instantly, while still looking at them from the outside, is a real gift. He is not sarcastic. He "likes to learn things" and hence in this film we find him raking leaves in a Hassidic synagogue, "eye"ing Japanese psychic surgery patients whisking around an operating table; gasping for air, his mouth pressed to the bottom of a sweat lodge tent; and in one particularly hilarious segment, submitting to treatment by a seriously nearsighted "nutritional optometrist." I loved this movie. It is a riveting example of storytelling, of the power of one human voice to mesmerize the rest of us.

Made during the time when Steven Soderbergh was in the process of reinventing himself (see also "Schizopolis," made the same year), this is a wonderfully inventive film with a kinetic visual style to match Spalding Gray's verbal gymnastics. This is the kind of film that stays with you long after you've finished watching it, thanks to Gray's performance -- he is a terrific storyteller -- and Soderbergh's imaginative staging.Caveat: If you're at all squeamish when it comes to graphic descriptions of eye injuries, this film may not be your cup of tea.

Like several of Spalding Gray's stage monologues "Gray's Anatomy" has been given the full feature film treatment, this time by "Sex Lies & Video" helmer Steven Soderberg. Gray's discovery of a visual malady leads him to medical and homeopathic treatment and serious consideration of the query "What is it you don't want to see?"This 90 minute monodrama is not opened-up in the traditional sense. Rather it is supplemented by monochrome interviews with Joe and Jane Q. Publics about their particular eye problems. Within the monologue itself, Soderberg employs a variety of lighting and camera trickery to keep the action from stagnating. Mostly, it is a successful endeavor. Though, oddly, the film lacks the overall impact of Gray's "Swimming To Cambodia" or even the lesser (but simpler done) "Monster in a Box". A fine addition to the Gray library.

This movie is simply a 90 min monologue about this guy and his medical troubles. He explains how he tried all kinds of remedies and potions, because he was too chicken to bite the bullet and get an operation. This movie would seem boring at first glance, but the director - one of my new favourites - Steven Soderbergh makes this an interesting and worthwhile journey into this mans psyche. If you're unsure about this movie, check out Soderbergh's other masterpiece 'Schitzopolis' and then if you have any doubts about his directing ability then that's your loss, not mine. Gray's Anatomy... taste's like chicken. I'm told.