Gray's Anatomy
Is considered a truly inspired cinematic collaboration between director Steven Soderberg and the master of monologue, Spalding Gray. This somewhat autobiographical tale is a comical look at Gray's middle-age angst, with its impending mortality and, in his case, sight distortion in his left eye. After being diagnosed with a rare and mysterious eye condition, Gray recalls his hilarious and obsessive pursuits into alternative healing. His mission takes him on different cultural adventures; to a Native American Sweat Ceremony involving mass nude encounters In a sweatbox; to a debilitating raw vegetable diet guru; and, most memorably, a trip to the Philippines to try out the "Elvis Presley of psychic surgeons."
Member Reviews
Story-Telling - legalwright
This film is a monologue, with Spalding Gray recounting his experiments in alternative health therapy. Mr. Gray develops a macular pucker in his left eye which significantly impairs his vision in that eye. The opthamologist recommends surgery and Mr. Gray is reluctant, hence his sojourn into the wilds of alternative health. He recounts three such forays in vivid detail - an experiment in Shaminism in a sweat lodge, an encounter with a New Age nutritionist and a trip to the Phillipines for treatment by a "psychic surgeon".
I was unfamiliar with Mr.Gray's work until seeing this film. There is a biting intelligence to his words and a black humour present. He is an entertaining storyteller. Anyone interested in the health care debate between traditional allopathic treatments and holistic health care would find this film to be of interest.
This is an excellent movie if you enjoy listening and sharing in another person's experience.Not what I would normally rent, but quite good - jenk
I quite liked this movie. I think part of my enjoyment comes from friends and family members who have tried some of these things (my mother doesn't eat cooked food...she just juices and eats raw veggies). The visuals were quite interesting, but I don't think that it was quite enough to sustain my attention. Thankfully I had some necessary but faily mindless computer work that I had to do, so I mainly listened to the movie and looked at the computer. I was tracing images on the computer screen with my mouse, and there were a number of times I had to redo some of my work because when I would laugh, the mouse would move. This isn't the type of movie I would generally go for, but one of the great things about zip is being able to try out movies you wouldn't normally rent.Very Smart Monologue - jelly_bean
If you can manage to sustain your interest for the whole 80 or so minutes, this movie will reward you with its wit and intelligence. It's quite simple, a few mock interviews with people interspersed between a man telling you his story. A wonderful examination of the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to "see", GRAY'S ANATOMY doesn't seem like much when you first start out, but the imagery sticks with you long after the movie is over -- yet another question about the impact of sight... Visuals may not seem too important, but watch the backgrounds behind the narrator; quite brilliant.
Member Reviews
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Story-Telling - legalwright
This film is a monologue, with Spalding Gray recounting his experiments in alternative health therapy. Mr. Gray develops a macular pucker in his left eye which significantly impairs his vision in that eye. The opthamologist recommends surgery and Mr. Gray ...Not what I would normally rent, but quite good - jenk
I quite liked this movie. I think part of my enjoyment comes from friends and family members who have tried some of these things (my mother doesn't eat cooked food...she just juices and eats raw veggies). The visuals were quite interesting, but I don't think ...Very Smart Monologue - jelly_bean
If you can manage to sustain your interest for the whole 80 or so minutes, this movie will reward you with its wit and intelligence. It's quite simple, a few mock interviews with people interspersed between a man telling you his story. A wonderful examination ...