You Don't Know Jack Page #2

Synopsis: Dr. Jack Kevorkian (1928 - 2011 ) in the 1990s, when he defies Michigan law assisting the suicide of terminally-ill persons. Support comes from his sister, a lab tech, the Hemlock Society president, and a lawyer. The child of survivors of the Armenian genocide interviews applicants: his sister video tapes them. He assembles a device allowing a person to initiate a three-chemical intravenous drip. The local D.A., the governor, and the Legislature respond. In court scenes, Kevorkian is sometimes antic. He's single-minded about giving dying individuals the right to determine how their lives will end. He wants the Supreme Court to rule. He picks a fight he can't win: is it hubris or heroism?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Director(s): Barry Levinson
Production: HBO Films
  Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 10 wins & 36 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Rotten Tomatoes:
91%
NOT RATED
Year:
2010
134 min
Website
966 Views


- Get it out of here.

David, I'm sorry

for this upset.

Man:

Doctor, please.

- 'm sorry.

- Man:
And take that thing with you.

Lessenberry:
It took a

couple more months,

But the doctors finally did allow him

to be taken off of life support.

And what

a brutal way he went.

- Brutal? - Brutal.

Think about it.

Is it really any different

than what the germans did

- n nazi germany?

- Whoa whoa whoa whoa.

- Hmm?

- Do you want me to print that?

- Print what you want.

- We're talking about hospitals,

- Not nazis.

- Well, they do the same thing...

Starving people to death.

They cut off their feeding

And their water

and they let them die.

And it's all legal.

The United States supreme

court has validated

The nazi method

of execution.

( lessenberry laughs

) excuse me.

You- You obviously don't

approve of the current method.

No, I don't.

Do you?

Starving people to death?

No, I don't think so.

It's inhumane.

If a person's

allowed to die,

Then you inject them-

painlessly, quickly.

You don't let them

wither away.

It's inconceivable.

It's unspeakable.

What would you charge

for this procedure?

You don't charge people

For mething like this, Mr.

Lessenberry.

What's wrong with you?

You- You've really got

some story here, doc.

Don't be surprised if this

gets picked up nationally.

Is your turkey okay?

I don't like fat.

( knocks on door )

Selfish bastard.

You hog all the ink in

the detroit papers,

Now you're in "newsweek"

And there's

nothing about me.

- Oh.

- What about me?

Look at this.

Man.

"blunt and feisty, he's

the first american doctor

To advocate

physician-assisted suicide."

They're gonna have to

take me seriously now.

- You're not a local quack anymore.

- No no.

- You're america's quack.

- America's quack!

- ( laughs )

- Look at this.

You earned it.

Congratulations.

- Neal, congratulations.

- "newsweek" magazine.

So how are

we gonna celebrate?

Uh, you want

a glass of water?

- Yeah, that'd be great.

- Great!

Jack:
So when were

you first diagnosed

With alzheimer's, mrs.

Adkins?

Mrs. Adkins:
About a

year ago I think.

It was

three years ago now.

Oh.

And what did your doctor say

- When he told you?

- Well, it was like a bomb.

He said

she had alzheimer's

And it'd come to a point

Where she wouldn't

be able to...

( cries )

( exhales deeply )

- There is-- - ...D

ress herself.

She wouldn't be able

to take a bath.

Jack:
What-- what are some of

the other fears you have?

That I wouldn't know

that this is my husband

And my children,

Or "who am I?

"

Jack:
You're sensing

the loss of things.

Loss loss

loss loss loss.

So let's talk

about that if you could.

What happened today,

for instance?

- What happened today? - You tell me.

I don't even know what happened today.

She went out

into the yard and then--

What I could see was

She stood there

in the yard

And I could see

from behind her

That she didn't know

where she was.

She didn't know

to turn around,

That was the bacdoor

of the hwuse.

She didn't know that that was the

gate to go out to the street.

She just-- she didn't

know what to do.

Jack:

Mm-hmm.

I don't remember.

Jack on tv:
When I

talked to your doctor--

First of all, he would

hardly speak with me.

But when he did,

What your doctor was trying

to communicate to me

Was that you're not

imminently terminal.

- Do you understand?

- Yes, I--I-- I understand.

- And I understand-- - margo:

Should I make some tea for us?

- Jack?

- Thats frightening.

- Jack, do you want some tea?

- If I don't make this decision right now,

I'll never be able to.

Margo, I don't know

what we're doing.

Look at her.

Look at her.

She looks well to me.

She looks

quite capable, no?

She's not

the right one.

But she has the right.

As a patient,

It's her choice.

I refuse to die

a slow death.

Margo:
Come on, jack.

You know how things are gonna be perceived.

- I don't care.

- The media's gonna all over it.

- I know. - You're gonna

have to tell her yes.

- I know.

- You have to be strategic.

Margo, what do we

care about the media?

Who cares?

Look.

Sometimes in life

There are strategies

that you have to take,

Because we have to be very

careful about our purpose.

- Our purpose is important.

- Well, what about her?!

Who cares

what people think?

It's what

my patient feels.

She doesn't know each day

what she's gonna find

When she looks

in the mirror.

She doesn't know if she's gonna

see herself there anymore.

This is her terror.

This is what she goes through,

day in and day out.

The terror of being...

Lost.

- Jack.

- She's running out of time.

I understand that.

Look at me.

If it was me,

if I was her,

If I was in the same

situation, would you do it?

- You, margo?

- Yes, me, margo.

- Would you do it for me?

- Of course I'd do it. Yes

- You would do it?

You know that? - Sure.

If I saw the same look of

determination in your eyes

As I saw in hers,

of course I'd do it.

No question about it.

My own sister--

in truth, I'd do it.

- You'd do it?

- Mm-hmm.

That's your answer.

Yeah, I know.

I just wanted to work

this through, you know?

Just go through

the variables.

- Mrs. Adkins:
"who am I?

" - jack on tv:
And you're aware of your decision?

- Mrs. Adkins:
Yes.

- Let 'em come after me.

Let 'em come after

a real physician.

Mrs. Adkins:
...

The end of my life.

I think I'm gonna make

us some tea right now.

Make it strong,

will you?

- Margo:
Yeah. - Jack on tv: ...

The word for "the end of life."

- Death.

- Margo:
By the way...

Jack on tv:
This

is what you wish?

- Yes. Yes, I do. - ...

Where are we gonna do this?

Woman:
Some people think we

brew up poisonous potions

Like witches

from gallows hill.

Others think it's "take

two hemlock pills

And meet your maker

in the morning."

Well, surprise surprise--

There's no such thing

as a hemlock pill.

We offer assistance

And advanced directives,

D.N.R.

S-- "do not resuscitate"--

Wills, hospice care,

But we do not

dispense drugs,

We do not pull plugs.

We started this chapter

because we believe

That to each person, their

own way of death...

With dignity.

Jack:

Oh, miss good,

I can carry

that for you.

That would've been nice, dr.

Kevorkian,

But it's a little late

now, don't you think?

And it's "missus.

"

- Missus?

- Yup.

Oh.

Good.

So-- so you know

who I am?

What do I look like,

June cleaver?

What can

I do for you?

Well, uh...

I, umm--

I have

my first patient,

- But what I don't have...

- Is a place.

- Yes. - And you'd

like to use my home?

- ( engine starts )

- well, no.

I thought

you would know a place,

But if I could use your home,

that would be just fine.

- Sure. - Well, if you're

gonna come to my home,

You're gonna have to

dress more cheerfully.

( clacks )

If you've never actually

tested that before,

How do you know

it's gonna work?

Because I made it.

I wish you had a stronger

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Adam Mazer

Adam Mazer is an American screenwriter. He is the writer of HBO Film’s biopic, You Don't Know Jack, about the life of assisted-suicide advocate, Jack Kevorkian.Mazer was the co-writer of the 2007 Universal Pictures feature film, Breach, starring Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe and Laura Linney. Directed by Billy Ray, Breach is based on the true story of the FBI’s most notorious spy, Robert Hanssen. Adam and his former partner, Bill Rotko, optioned the rights of the young FBI aide who worked side-by-side with Robert Hanssen and played a vital role in his arrest. The movie was released in February, 2007. He’s recently finished the screenplay, The Sentry Keep; based on the true story of a 1982 New York City armored car company heist, that at the time, was the largest cash heist in U.S. history. Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Fighting) is attached to direct. The movie is being produced by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films. He’s also currently working on a one-hour TV pilot, Contingency, with the television production company, Reveille (The Office, Ugly Betty). Contingency is set in the early 1980s and explores the wild early days of a Personal Injury law firm. Additionally, he wrote the one-hour TV pilot, Ghosts, for the CW Network. The drama deals with the personal and professional lives of young undercover FBI Agents who work in an elite unit called the “Special Surveillances Group”. Prior, Adam sold the family comedy, Big Baby, (co-written with Gregg Lichtenstein) to Warner Brothers with Neal Moritz and Richard Suckle producing, and Raja Gosnell attached to direct. Adam was a founding partner of Point Blank Entertainment where he was an Associate Producer on the outrageous ensemble comedy, Super Troopers. The film was sold at the Sundance Film Festival and released in 2002 by Fox Searchlight. Adam’s other efforts include his screenplay, The Amateur which was set up with the Kennedy-Marshall Company. Based on true events, The Amateur tells the story of 19-year-old golfer Francis Ouimet’s remarkable underdog victory at the 1913 U.S. Open. He also wrote the police corruption drama, Officer Down, the comic book fantasy adventure, The Last Ride of Waterloo Clyde, and Shelter From the Storm – an adaptation of Stephen Miller’s southern mystery novel, A Woman in the Yard. Upon graduating from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in 1989, Adam moved to Los Angeles and partnered with Bill Rotko (A&E’s recent The Beast) until 2005. They sold their first screenplay, Freeze – a harrowing Antarctic action-adventure – to Columbia Pictures and Mandalay Pictures. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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