Gross Anatomy

I'm rounding up my look back at the earlier films of Matthew Modine with 1989's Gross Anatomy.

Modine stars as Joe Slovak, a brillaint but cocky working class kid who has just entered his first year of med school. His not by the book method begins to ruffle the feathers of his classmates and his teacher, Christine Lahti. But he soon realizes that it's going to take more than a wink and smile to become a doctor.

This feels like a role that Tom Cruise might have turned down. Modine is good as the cocky but likable Joe. Lahti is really good as well, especially when she's sparring with Modine. Daphne Zuniga, who plays Modine's love interest and fellow classmate, is a little bit obnoxious. The other classmates, that include Todd Field and John Scott Clough, fare better.

This is a likable, but mostly forgettable, movie. You won't hate it, but you probably won't remember much about it either.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.