danielri SPOILER AHEAD.The ending is important to understand. Given the choice to end his life voluntarily, he can now relax and enjoy whatever time he chooses to keep on living despite the paralysis below his neck.In countries where patients can choose to end what they consider an intolerable existence with a handy pill of some kind, they can sit back and possibly enjoy life again because now they can control the moment of non-existence.Reminds me of the Zen question: who were you before you were born or even conceived.My thoughts on this: dying is simply a return to the state of nothingness there was before I was conceived.Of course others believe in some kind of reincarnation. But that is another matter.

JoeKarlosi Based on a play of the same name, Richard Dreyfuss plays Ken Harrison, a very talented and vibrant sculptor who meets with tragedy one day when he's involved in a near-fatal car wreck. He ultimately learns that he will be dependent on being trapped in a hospital bed for the rest of his existence, paralyzed from the neck down and only able to move his head. Though Ken has a strong spirit and is basically good-natured, he cannot accept the fate of never being able to perform his craft again and seeks to be set free and allowed to die. His doctor (John Cassavetes), however, is a gruff but dedicated man with strong principles who feels he has a responsibility to preserve life rather than destroy it, and thus fights Ken every step of the way.I first saw this controversial John Badham film upon its initial theatrical run, and it didn't get a DVD release until 2007, which then went quickly out of print, and that's a shame. It cost me a bit much to get the now-rare DVD, but it was worth it to me because I think it's such an involving movie. Richard Dreyfuss has one of his best roles, and it's amazing that he manages such a good performance when you realize that the actor himself was going through the flu at the time of shooting, and by his own admission has stated that he now has absolutely NO RECOLLECTION of making the film, as he was also heavily addicted to drugs at the time (which nearly killed him). It's quite mind-boggling to think that a person could be starring in a movie which is primarily focused on the value of life as its subject, all the while risking his own life with drug abuse simultaneously in between shooting. I really like John Cassavetes as Dr. Emerson in this story; he's got a professional yet snide demeanor that really makes him effective as the villain of the piece. Christine Lahti shines as another doctor taking care of Ken Harrison, who at first cannot sympathize with his plight but gradually becomes receptive to his feelings. The relationship between the Lahti and Dreyfuss characters is one of the strongest assets in the film. ***1/2 out of ****

TxMike A lot has happened in the ethics of medicine since this movie was made. I only got around to seeing it now.Thirty-something Richard Dreyfuss is creative sculptor and all-around active guy Ken Harrison. Early on we see him driving home and distracted does not see an accident in time to avoid it. His small car becomes wedged under a truck. Awake in the hospital he finds himself with a number of broken bones but, more importantly, an injured spinal cord which makes him a quadriplegic, at least for the short term.Ken initially makes the most of it, his good humor carrying him through, bantering with hospital staff and his wife, joking about his condition. However, months into treatment when he finally realizes he will never walk again, never sculpt again, and must rely on dialysis for the rest of his life, he loses his desire to keep on.He asks for the hospital to discharge him, but they don't want to because it would mean certain death withing a short period of time. Their medical ethics require that he be kept alive by all normal means.So the most of the movie is about Ken's fight to allow him to make his own decisions, thus the title "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" He hires a lawyer, etc, etc.John Cassavetes is good as Dr. Michael Emerson who fights Ken's discharge. Christine Lahti is good as the young Dr. Clare Scott who achieves a split loyalty, because she understands what Ken is going through. Bob Balaban is Ken's lawyer Carter Hill .SPOILERS - As if anybody still does not know - after a court hearing with experts, held in a makeshift hospital room, the judge rules that Ken can make his own decision to be discharged.

The_Core This film could have been great, except for some serious scripting and characterization problems. Many of the characters are stereotypical, wafer-thin portrayals, particularly the head doctor who wants to keep Dreyfuss's character alive. The "party scene in the hospital basement" is not only cliched, but nobody got fired or got in trouble (the Jamaican nurse in particular) for smoking dope in a hospital, and taking a quadraplegic patient out of their bed without permission in the middle of the night? Give me a break! Finally, Dreyfuss's decision to "remain in the hospital to die" at the end... the judge's ruling was specifically that he be released (writ of Habeus Corpus), not that he be allowed to die without treatment in the hospital!These serious problems (particularly the latter, where he decides to stay in the hospital) just about ruin the film for me. Never mind that there's never much of a real sense of suspense or genuine emotion here, and everything plays far too liberally off (melo)drama generated by the Dreyfuss character's decision. I'll give it 6/10, and I feel like I'm being generous. Comes dangerously close to trivializing the issues portrayed in the film, and occasionally crosses the line... if it weren't for much more honest films with subject matter just as difficult (like "Dead Man Walking") I might be more forgiving and just chalk it up to the best Hollywood can do with this sort of material, but I know better.