Dr. T and the Lone Star State

Besides being the source of our new president, Texas seems poised to deliver an endless supply of hilarity to the rest of the nation through such movies as "Dr. T & the Women." (Artisan, R, VHS/rental, DVD/$25). There are bound to be many more that feed off our new Texas-culture consciousness.

Robert Altman has done to Texas what he`s done so well in the past to country music ("Nashville"), war ("M.A.S.H."), the fashion industry ("Ready to Wear") and marriage ("A Wedding"). I like to think of it as death by ensemble.

After watching "Dr. T & the Women," I contacted an expatriate Texan.

"Are the women really like that?" I asked.

"I haven`t seen the movie," she replied. "Were they dressed really well, shallow and doing a lot of shopping?"

Bull`s-eye. Well, there wasn`t that much explicit shopping, but it is heavily implied from the extreme fashion consciousness of the women in the movie. There just doesn`t seem to be such a thing as casual dress among the Dallas country club set. At least not in Altman`s movie. But there are many, many women.

Dr. T - Sullivan Travis (Richard Gere) - is awash in a sea of women. Partly it is professional. He is the gynecologist of choice for Dallas society. Partly it is family. And partly it is social. In a world in which the men apparently spend a lot of time making fortunes, hitting golf balls and shooting animals - the gynecologist seems to be the last link to intimacy, compassion and warmth in the lives of frustrated Texas wives. And D. T`s the best. He`s kind, sensitive, gentle, understands women and keeps his instruments warm. And being Richard Gere, he`s easy to look at, too.

His is one waiting room that will never be empty. It is his private life that is empty. Here Dr. T is equally surrounded by women who demand every ounce of his attention - although he gives them remarkably little. There is an air of absenteeism is the relationships he has with family. The more you see of them, that becomes understandable.

There`s his wife, Kate (Farrah Fawcett), suffering from a form of dementia described as a Hestia Complex. The psychologist (Lee Grant) describes it - with a straight face and earnest tone - as a disease unique to upper-class women, who have all their material needs fulfilled and a husband who loves them too completely. They retreat into a childlike state to regain some of the mystery. Yeah. Right.

The rest of the family isn`t much better off. Kate`s lush of a sister, Peggy (Laura Dern), has moved in with her three young daughters while between marriages. Dr. T`s own daughter, DeeDee (Kate Hudson), is a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader alternate and soon to be married - except that she has unresolved feelings for her maid of honor, Marilyn (Liv Tyler). A second daughter, Connie (Tara Reid), is a JFK conspiracy geek who dresses in radical chic and leads tours of the assassination scene. (She`s prone to say, "Don`t worry about me, Dad. I`ll be fine," when the lives of others are crumbling around her.)

Into this estrogen sea of turmoil lands Bree Davis (Helen Hunt), the new assistant golf pro at Dr. T`s country club. She`s young, uncomplicated, independent, grounded and has a heck of a swing. She`s unlike any women Dr. T has ever met. She is a calm in the life that is his storm.

Altman movies are known, loved and sometimes reviled for their large marquee casts and sprawling stories. When you see the tag "A Robert Altman Film," you know you`ll be in for a bumpy, sometimes thrilling, roller coaster of a ride. So, too, it is with "Dr. T." However, unlike such classics as "Nashville" and "Short Cuts," the ensemble cast here is used largely to feed the character of Dr. T. Nobody else, even Bree, gets to develop much in the movie.

Much like Texas society wives, I suppose, their roles are largely decorative, marginal and supportive. I`m still undecided about the ending, which seems pulled straight from the pages of "The Wizard of Oz" (with a touch of "Magnolia" surrealism). There is almost a feeling that the end came less from inspiration than desperation. At first. Watch the DVD again, this time with the audio commentary track turned on, for clues. You`ll gain insight that quintuples your appreciation of Altman`s genius.

Sharing commentary duties with Altman are writer Anne Rapp and much of the cast, including Shelley Long who is Dr. T`s loyal office manager and Janine Turner (one of T`s most frequent patients). Sounds like a party? You better believe it.

Finally, I`d be remiss if I neglected to mention the outstanding music score provided by Lyle Lovett.

ALSO THIS WEEK

"Digimon: The Movie" (Fox, PG, VHS/$20, DVD/$25) - Seven kids unite in the battle against the forces of evil in this animated theatrical spin-off from the popular Fox Network TV cartoon show. All your favorites are here: Gumimon, Gatoman, Kari, Patamon and T.K.

"Manhunter" (Anchor Bay, R, VHS/DVD) - Billed as a prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs" and being re-released to exploit publicity surrounding the new "Hannibal," this Michael Mann-directed thriller is based on the Thomas Harris novel, "Red Dragon." William Petersen (currently in the surprise TV hit "C.S.I.") plays FBI agent Will Graham. Brian Cox has the enviable role of serial killer Hannibal Lector. This was made in 1986, five years before "Silence of the Lambs." Look for actress Joan Allen in the cast.

"Rated X" (Showtime, R and Unrated, VHS/$20, DVD/$$25) - Story of the two brothers who brought the porno industry into the mainstream is brought to the mainstream by director-star Emilio Estevez and his own brother Charlie Sheen. They portray Jim and Artie Mitchell who, in 1971, produced the hit "Behind The Green Door." Their meteoric rise to wealth and notoriety was followed by a devastating plunge into sex, drugs and oblivion."

"A Better Way to Die" (Columbia TriStar, R, VHS/rental, DVD/$30) - Andre Braugher, Lou Diamond Philips, Natasha Henstridge and Joe Pantoliano star in this action-thriller about an ex-cop who gets mistaken for a government agent and becomes target No. 1 of the Mafia.

"Urban Legends: Final Cut" (Columbia TriStar, R, VHS/rental, DVD/$20) - Who is eliminating the competition at the prestigious Alpine University film school in this horror-slash-comedy sequel? The filmmakers apparently ran out of urban legends, because the focus becomes an interesting way to kill the students who worked on a film in contention for the Alfred Hitchcock Award.

DVD UPDATE

Robert Redford`s baseball drama, "The Natural," arrives on DVD on April 3 with a documentary featuring Cal Ripkin Jr. and reproductions of newspapers from the 1940s, detailing stories of baseball players who were shot.

One of the grandest epics ever sweeps on to DVD on April 3, "Lawrence of Arabia," in a two-disc package that includes a conversation with Stephen Spielberg, a documentary and more - in all, 90 minutes of bonus footage. The Best Picture Oscar winner was filmed by David Lean and starred Peter O`Toole and Omar Sharif.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Next week: The IMAX theater hit "Michael Jordan to the Max."

March 6: The box office smash comedy, starring Robert DeNiro/Ben Stiller, "Meet the Parents."

March 13: The Michael Douglas black comedy, "Wonder Boys," is back on the release schedule. It was pulled last month when Paramount caught the scent of Best Picture Oscar in the air. Nominations will come out Feb. 13 and this one is as deserving of a nod as any film from last year.

March 20: Terrific fact-based integration drama starring Denzel Washington: "Remember the Titans." Also, Kirsten Dunst in the romance-drama "Lover`s Prayer." John Travolta/Lisa Kudrow in the comedy "Lucky Numbers."

March 27: Between two world wars, Gertrude Stein and her companion, Alice B. Toklas, mix it up with Picasso, Hemingway and others in director Jill Godmilow`s history-based fiction, "Waiting For the Moon." Four more of Godmilow`s films will be released on VHS on the same day: "Far From Poland," "The Popovich Brothers of South Chicago," "Roy Cohan/Jack Smith" and "What`s Underground About Marshmallows?"

April 3: A true comedy classic comes out in VHS format in a new edition: "Blazing Saddles." The Mel Brooks spoof includes a behind-the-scenes documentary and previously unseen footage.

Also April 3,the crime-thriller "Circus," starring Famke Janssen, John Hannah and Peter Stomare.

April 10: Dolph Lundgren and Randolph Mantooth in the thriller "Agent Red."

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: Robert J. Hawkins