For a film from PRC, a VERY small and rather dubious film company, "Bedside Manner" is a surprisingly good film. Now I am NOT saying it's a really good film--just compared to the usual PRC offering. While the film has some very nice moments and a surprisingly good cast, the overall product seems to try too hard to be funny and seems very forced to say the least.
The film begins with a doctor (Ruth Hussey) driving back to her old childhood home. Along the way, she picks up three military guys (all named Smith) and takes them with her. As far as I am concerned, this subplot and presence of these three was completely unnecessary to the film. Regardless, somewhere along the way, she meets a guy (John Carroll) who reminds her of someone and she makes his life pretty miserable. Oddly (and with no apparent reason), he soon falls in love with her but knows she's supposed to leave the next day for Chicago. So, he and her uncle concoct a plan to keep her--he will pretend to be crazy and she'll be forced to stay and treat him (even though she is a plastic surgeon!!).
If all this sounds sort of like an episode of "Laverne and Shirley", you'd be right on the mark. The film tries so hard to be goofy that it really falls apart. It's a shame, as having them fall in love might have worked--had they set the stage for WHY he wanted her in the first place and if they hadn't come up with the cockeyed bit about him losing his mind. It's all very forced. Watchable but forced!
The film begins with a doctor (Ruth Hussey) driving back to her old childhood home. Along the way, she picks up three military guys (all named Smith) and takes them with her. As far as I am concerned, this subplot and presence of these three was completely unnecessary to the film. Regardless, somewhere along the way, she meets a guy (John Carroll) who reminds her of someone and she makes his life pretty miserable. Oddly (and with no apparent reason), he soon falls in love with her but knows she's supposed to leave the next day for Chicago. So, he and her uncle concoct a plan to keep her--he will pretend to be crazy and she'll be forced to stay and treat him (even though she is a plastic surgeon!!).
If all this sounds sort of like an episode of "Laverne and Shirley", you'd be right on the mark. The film tries so hard to be goofy that it really falls apart. It's a shame, as having them fall in love might have worked--had they set the stage for WHY he wanted her in the first place and if they hadn't come up with the cockeyed bit about him losing his mind. It's all very forced. Watchable but forced!