Bedside: A doctor who is better at talking than healing

Is it worth the time?

If you have a soft spot for pre-code era dramas or just like seeing actors wander through hospital sets looking worried, you might find something here. People who need a plot that actually moves or characters who don't feel like they're reading from a greeting card will probably hate it. It's not a disaster, but it's not exactly essential viewing either.

The whole thing hinges on Bob Brown being this incredibly charismatic guy. He walks into a room and suddenly everyone is smiling. I guess that's the point, but it gets pretty repetitive fast.

There is this one moment where he’s talking to a patient, and I swear he spends more time fixing his tie than checking a pulse. It’s funny in a way I don't think the writers intended. Smooth, but completely useless in an emergency.

His partner is doing all the heavy lifting in the background. You see him in the corner of the frame looking exhausted while Bob is off making jokes. It makes you feel kind of bad for the guy.

Odd bits and pieces

• The hospital set looks like it was built out of spare cardboard and optimism.
• There is a scene with a nurse that lasts about three minutes too long. It’s just awkward silence and half-hearted banter.
• I kept waiting for a medical crisis that felt real, but the movie seems much more interested in who likes who.

It definitely lacks the grit you find in something like The Strike Breaker. Everything here is just too polite. It’s like the movie is afraid to get its hands dirty.

I found myself staring at the background extras more than the main cast. One guy in the hall is holding a chart upside down for almost an entire shot. Little stuff like that is the only reason I stayed awake. 🏥

Ultimately, it’s a weird, lopsided little film. It doesn't quite know if it wants to be a drama or a light comedy, so it settles for being somewhere in the middle, which is nowhere at all. Watch it if you're bored, skip it if you're looking for a plot.