YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
4 out of 5 stars

neal nichol: “you’re not just the local quack anymore. you’re now america’s quack!”
(re: his friend jack kevorkian making the cover of newsweek magazine)

i had mixed feelings about this one, but the fact that barry levinson directed this + al pacino starring as dr. death himself + it’s a HBO production? i couldn’t help but NOT pass this one up... quadruple plus...al pacino won like 4 major cinematic/acting awards for this role! and boy, he amazes us once again. ;)

the movie focuses on jack mostly in early 90s detroit, starting with jack (al pacino) and his sister/assistant margo studying up on euthanasia in the library...both the medical history of euthanasia as well as the legal complications of actually euthanizing willing patients. as jack realizes his “true calling”, he calls upon his closest friend and lab tech/medical supplier neal nichol (john goodman) to get him some medical supplies, so that he can start working on his assisted suicide apparatuses. (OMG, the scene w/ his first potential is priceless)  he soon befriends a woman named janet good (susan sarandon), who is president of this pro-assisted suicide society in detroit, and with her help, he starts interviewing patients, who need his “help”. janet is a diehard supporter of jack’s work, and she even volunteers her home for dr. kevorkian’s first assisted suicide. (later it turns out that he just did it in his VW van b/c janet’s husband wouldn’t allow it... you blame him?) so, along with the assisted suicides, comes the lawsuits AKA people v. kevorkian. margo decides to hire medical malpractice attorney, geoffrey fieger (a brilliant danny huston!), to represent jack in all legal matters, and he kicks the DA’s ass...everytime! well, as many of you know, the law soon catches up with kevorkian, and the trial concerning the good doc definitely is quite a spectacle to see! ;)

let’s pretend to leave the legal and moral issues of euthanasia behind us, and focus on the acting? AWESOME performances from pacino, danny huston, susan sarandon, even...john goodman. these HBO films are pretty well done, and i feel like because they’re shown on a premium channel, they don’t get enough recognition... EXCELLENT and compelling storyline and style by famed director barry levinson, who usually gives us comedies and occasional dramas (i.e. OMG, sleepers!), but i think this captures jack’s essence and his life’s work very well. it makes you wonder if he truly thought he was doing the right thing...and according to this movie, HE DID. i’m not sure this necessarily paints a positive portrait of him, but it does do the jack kevorkian society justice.  great casting all around... ;)