Whose Life Is It Anyway? (film)

Whose Life Is It Anyway? is a 1981 American drama film directed by John Badham and starring Richard Dreyfuss. It was adapted by Brian Clark and Reginald Rose from Clark's 1972 television movie and 1978 stage play, all under the same title. Whose Life Is It Anyway? received a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 6.58/10.[2]

For other uses, see Whose Life Is It Anyway? (disambiguation).
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed byJohn Badham
Produced byLawrence P. Bachman
Written byBrian Clark
(play, screenplay)
Reginald Rose (screenplay)
StarringRichard Dreyfuss
John Cassavetes
Christine Lahti
Bob Balaban
Music byArthur B. Rubinstein
CinematographyMario Tosi
Edited byFrank Morriss
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists (United States/Canada)
Cinema International Corporation (International)
Release date
  • December 2, 1981 (1981-12-02)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11.5 million[1]
Box office$2.2 million[1]

Plot

Sculptor Ken Harrison is paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident, and is no longer able to create art, make love or have any semblance of his prior existence. Confined to a hospital, Harrison hires lawyer Carter Hill who, reluctantly at first, represents him to petition legally for the right to end his life.

Dr. Emerson, the hospital administrator, is staunchly opposed to euthanasia, and is determined to keep his patient alive even against his wishes. Dr. Scott, Harrison's sympathetic physician, develops personal feelings for him. She wants to keep him alive, even though Harrison's girlfriend, Pat, has accepted his decision.

A young orderly and a young nurse, John and Mary Jo (respectively), do what they can to keep Harrison's spirits up, even wheeling him to a hospital basement where they treat him to reggae music and marijuana. In the end, though, it will be up to Judge Wyler whether Harrison has a moral, ethical and legal right to choose to die.

Cast

See also

References
  1. Boyer, Peter; Pollock, Dale (28 March 1982). "MGM-UA AND THE BIG DEBT". Los Angeles Times. p. 11.
  2. Whose Life Is It Anyway?, retrieved 2018-05-10


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