Critical Care

"At Memorial Hospital no one ever dies... Until their insurance runs out."

1997 1h 47m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

59%

ROTTEN

⭐

5.9

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 47🥫59%Rotten Tomatoes★5.9IMDB · 2,335

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Werner Ernst is a young hospital resident who becomes embroiled in a legal battle between two half-sisters who are fighting over the care of their comatose father. But are they really fighting over their father's care, or over his $10 million estate? Meanwhile, Werner must contend with his nutty supervisor, who insists that he only care for patients with full insurance. Can Werner sidestep the hospital's legal team and do what's best for the patient?

“At Memorial Hospital no one ever dies... Until their insurance runs out.”

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Cast

James Spader
Dr. Werner Ernst
Kyra Sedgwick
Felicia E. Potter
Helen Mirren
Stella
Albert Brooks
Dr. Butz
Anne Bancroft
Nun
Wallace Shawn
Furnaceman
Jeffrey Wright
Rafael ("Bed Two")
Margo Martindale
Constance 'Connie' Potter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Steven Schwartz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Australia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sidney Lumet, shot by David Watkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Swartwout shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Spader and Kyra Sedgwick and Helen Mirren carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "At Memorial Hospital no one ever dies... Until their insurance runs out.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0118901 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sidney Lumet directs. David Watkin behind the camera. Tom Swartwout cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Australia.
4Directed by Sidney Lumet, shot by David Watkin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Tom Swartwout shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6James Spader and Kyra Sedgwick and Helen Mirren carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "At Memorial Hospital no one ever dies... Until their insurance runs out.".
8IMDB entry: tt0118901 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.