Whose Life Is It Anyway? (film)

Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed by	John Badham
Written by	Brian Clark (play, screenplay) Reginald Rose (screenplay)
Produced by	Lawrence P. Bachman
Starring	Richard Dreyfuss John Cassavetes Christine Lahti Bob Balaban
Cinematography	Mario Tosi
Edited by	Frank Morriss
Music by	Arthur B. Rubinstein
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	United Artists (United States/Canada) Cinema International Corporation (International)
Release date	December 2, 1981 (1981-12-02)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$11.5 million[1]
Box office	$2.2 million[1]

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]

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.

Harrison eventually is granted a hearing by a judge who listens to both Harrison and Dr. Emerson over whether it is Harrison's legal right to die or not. The judge studies the case and, while admitting that there are precedents on both sides, he rules that Harrison is mentally competent and orders him discharged so that he may end his life on his own terms.

Dr. Emerson relents and offers Harrison the option to die comfortably at the hospital, which Harrison accepts. In the final scene, John tucks Harrison into bed and Dr. Scott visits him one last time. They close the curtain and allow him to pass away.

Cast[]

• Richard Dreyfuss as Ken Harrison
• John Cassavetes as Dr. Emerson
• Christine Lahti as Dr. Scott
• Bob Balaban as Carter Hill
• Thomas Carter as John
• Kaki Hunter as Mary Jo
• Kenneth McMillan as Judge Wyler
• Janet Eilber as Pat

See also[]

• The Sea Inside

References[]

External links[]

• Whose Life Is It Anyway? at IMDb
• Whose Life Is It Anyway? at AllMovie
• Whose Life Is It Anyway? at Box Office Mojo
• Whose Life Is It Anyway? at Rotten Tomatoes

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