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Breast MenRating:
Release Date: 03 February, 2004 Retail Price: $9.98 OUR Price: $8.99 You SAVE: $0.99! Cast: Complete Cast (10 total) |
Breast Men Reviews
A slightly augmented history of silicone breast implants
"Brest Men" is not exactly a black comedy, but it has some moments that are definitely in that direction. This 1997 HBO film tells the story, "slightly augmented," of the invention, development, and commercial exploitation of silicone breast implants. The punny phrase "slightly augmented" means "fictionalized in this case. Silicone gel breast implants were invented by the plastic surgeons Thomas Cronin and Frank Gerow at the University of Texas in the early 1960s. They were then developed as a commercial product by Dow Corning in 1962. This film tells the story of the rise and fall of silicone gel breast implants in the persons of Dr. Christopher "Kevin" Saunders (David Schwimmer) and Dr. William Larson (Chris Cooper), a pair of reconstructive surgeons in Texas.
The film begins with the first in a series of shots of women whose faces cannot be seen who bare their breasts and explain what they think about them. Both the breasts and the comments are across the spectrum, and constitute one of the more thought provocative parts of "Breast Men." They also pop up often enough throughout the film to ground it back in reality. That is because as Doctors Saunders and Larson create this new field of reconstructive surgery things get a bit strange, whether it is the bizarre condescension of their colleagues to their proposal or the rich life style they are able to afford because of the success of their practice. Although there is mention of reconstructive breast surgery for women who have undergone a mastectomy, that is quickly ignored for women who want larger breasts.
Saunders gets the idea for breast implants when he spies a neighbor using breast enhancement cream and he is apparently sincere in his desire to help women, at least until he gets to operate on the woman of his dream (Emily Proctor), who ends up becoming his wife. Larson is a senior surgeon who originally dismisses the idea but gets tired of being considered a joke by the other doctors at the hospital and gets in touch with a Dow Corning representative (Matt Frewer) who takes Saunders original design, with used a saline solution, and upgrades it to silicone. It takes a while for the two doctors to find a woman (Kathleen Wilhoite) willing to undergo the new procedure and then to get their practice up and running, at which point it becomes extremely lucrative. Along the way the two doctors enjoy the good life but come to a parting of the ways over who deserves the lion's share of the credit for this whole business.
Then the first stories start coming out about implants that are leaking and the first lawsuits get filed. The story tries to provide both sides of the controversy, but it is hard for the doctors spouting statistics over the phone to compete with a lawyer (Terry O'Quinn) in court pointing out that the same company that made the implants made Agent Orange and holding up examples of implants that have dissolved. Yes, you get to see dozens of pairs of breasts in this movie, but you are also going to be confronted with film of actual surgery and examples of implants that have gone horribly wrong. Believe me when I say it is going to be the latter examples that will stand out in your memory.
The punch line for the film is historically accurate because it did turn out that what was profitable to give was even more profitable to take away. It is not that the history of silicone gel breast implants is a joke, but there are certainly surreal elements to it. There will be parts of "Breast Men" that you will find funny and others that will make you uncomfortable, and in both cases those responses will be appropriate. Writer John Stockwell (who played Dennis Guilder in "Christine" and Cougar in "Top Gun") does a nice job of mixing together the diverse threads and if I were to point to the moment in the film where it really hits home it would be when Saunders's former wife comes to his office to pay him a visit. You get more than you bargained for when you watch this movie.
A solid black comedy
If you think that is this a traditional "sexy" comedy, stop now because it's not. What "Breast Men" really is a scathing black comedy that is a cut above (pun intended) the usual TV fair. If you're going to watch this film for the breasts, be warned... the implants that go bad are not a pretty sight to behold. If you watch the film and still don't see it's not-so-subtle irony and biting satire, you've got major comprehension probelms.
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