As I continue working my way through the Oscar movies, I of course will have the opportunity to watch many other non-winning Oscar Films and new films as they come out. This past Thursday I had the opportunity to go to the Detroit premiere of "You Don't Know Jack," the new biopic about Jack Kevorkian. I was a teenager when the doctor was in full operation so my memory of how everything occurred is not great, but it is something that I do remember. I will say that sitting in a theatre with Dr. Kevorkian, Jeffery Fieger and several other players in the story while we all watched it play out on screen was an interesting way to watch the movie.
The most memorable part of this movie was the performance made by Al Pacino. In most movies Pacino is playing Pacino. While that still gives him great range as an actor, it is something he will always be saddled with. Not a bad thing but it makes it difficult to accept him playing someone that is real. In this portrayal however he is completely immersed in the role. The accent, the look, the mannerisms, all of it fits perfectly into the character of Jack Kevorkian. The rest of the cast performs incredibly well, but it is Pacino that owns this movie and no one rises above him.
The story is told very well and remains compelling even though I knew how it ends. The movie is about Kevorkian and sticks to his side of the Assisted Suicide issue. It does treat the anti-assisted suicide party as enemies, but since it is about Kevorkian it doesn't matter. The movie mixes in actual footage from reporting, trials and announcements seamlessly into the plot and handles all of the patients of Kevorkian very well. In between the drama the movie is kept light and funny. Kevorkian becomes a very sympathetic and likable character.
The movie premiers tonight on HBO, but could have performed very well on the big screen. If you get the chance to see it do so. It gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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