Page 22 - Southern Exposure - September '24

Page 22, Southern Exposure 2 SPACES

arts & entertainMent

Film Review:

Don’t Worry: He Won’t Get Far On Foot

By Nils A. Shapiro

Trust me on this But there is indeed a happy ending to this life, one that hospital who understood what this patient needed at the worst
one. If, like me, at will reward you for staying with the film as I urged you to moment of his life…and, as you will discover, the one-word
some point in the first do at the opening of this review. A successful career as a lesson learned from his AA leader that enabled John Callahan
half hour or so of cartoonist…a loving marriage to Annu, caregiver at the at last to overcome his life of alcoholism.
this film you feel like
turning it off as being
rather depressing,
don’t do it! Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center Is
Resist that urge
and you will be Nationally Recognized For Its Commitment
rewarded with one
of the most brilliant To Providing High-Quality Stroke Care
acting performances
and emotional screen Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center has received the Gardens Medical Center for its commitment to caring for
stories you will have American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines ® patients with stroke,” said Steven Messe, M.D., volunteer
experienced in a long – Stroke GoldPlus quality achievement award for its chairperson of the American Heart Association Stroke
time, to be then told in the closing credits (forgive this spoiler) commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most System of Care Advisory Group and professor of neurology
that it is all based on a true memoir by the man who lived it! appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, and director of fellowships of neurology at the Hospital
The highly respected director Gus Van Sant adapted that research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives of the University of Pennsylvania. “Participation in Get
memoir into the screenplay for this 2018 film streaming on saved and reduced disability. With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient
Amazon Prime Video. After viewing Joaquin Phoenix’s Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a
extraordinary performance in the lead role I had to do disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel win for health care systems, families and communities.”
some research to learn why he failed to win the Academy that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center also received the
Award that year. It went to Rami Malek for playing blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll
SM
Freddie Mercury in American Rhapsody. (Joaquin Phoenix brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain Elite Plus award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals
throughout his career has won one Academy Award, one cells die. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between
British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment
one Grammy—having been nominated for 13 of those—in recovery times. with thrombolytic therapy.
addition to having been nominated for no fewer than 105 Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the The hospital also received the American Heart
other U.S. and international festival acting awards and American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award.
taking top honors 28 times!) Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type
We meet him here in the opening scene as John ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications,
Callahan, onstage as a recovered alcoholic receiving an evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines – receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when
award before an audience to whom he is telling the story Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care hospitalized due to stroke.
we are about to witness. by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, The hospital also met specific scientific guidelines as a
The flashback begins at a party where Jack and his friend which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and Primary Stroke Center, featuring a broad system for rapid
(played by Jack Black), already having had too much to drink, even prevent death. diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the
decide to make a real night of it. After stops at an amusement “Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center is committed to emergency department.
park and a strip club, imbibing even more at each, they pile improving patient care by adhering to the latest treatment About Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center
back into the car for one more stop with his totally besotted guidelines,” said the hospital’s CEO, Erik Cazares. “Get Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC), part
friend behind the wheel. As the car veers from one lane to With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put of the Palm Beach Health Network, the largest health
another, the driver’s eyes begin to close. He dozes off…and proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, care network in Palm Beach County, is a 199-bed acute
the inevitable 90 mph crash into a light pole results in them which studies show can help patients recover better. The end care hospital. It has served the Palm Beach County and
being brought by emergency ambulance to a hospital. goal is to ensure more people in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast communities for over 50 years. The hospital
As it turns out, the driver escapes with only minor bruises Treasure Coast can experience longer, healthier lives.” was the first in Palm Beach County to perform open-heart
and we see no more of him until the very end of the film. Each year, program participants qualify for the award surgery and has remained on the forefront as one of the
But it is largely through John’s (Joaquin Phoenix’s) eyes by demonstrating how their organization has committed area’s leaders in cardiac care. PBGMC also offers award
and thoughts that we learn and experience his life from that to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to winning stroke care, neurosurgery, urology, orthopedics,
moment on as a quadriplegic: paralysis of both arms and following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines robot assisted and minimally invasive surgical techniques,
both legs. participants also educate patients to help them manage their bloodless medicine and a 24-hour emergency room. For
Through the director’s, actor’s and cinematographer’s health and recovery at home. more information, visit: www.pbgmc.com.
skills, John’s trauma and shock are palpable. The initial “We are incredibly pleased to recognize Palm Beach
treatment by much of the hospital staff is insufficiently caring, Paid Advertisement
except for a beautiful visiting volunteer (played by Rooney
Mara) who spoon feeds him and understands that a little kiss
will make him feel human.
When John is provided with an electric wheelchair whose
movements and direction he can control with his fingers, his
world widens: He can travel around the hospital and even go
outdoors. Recognizing the reason for his disastrous situation
he decides to join a group in Alcoholics Anonymous to
straighten out his life. The group leader, portrayed by Jonah
Hill, takes a special interest in guiding John through AA’s
established process.
We learn that John’s mother had turned him over for
adoption when he was a young boy and he has never
overcome the sadness and feeling of loss of self-worth caused
by that decision.
That is the turning point in the film, for it led the real
John Callahan–who is able to use his hands—to become an
accomplished cartoonist whose work you will instantly
recognize from newspapers and popular national
magazines—and whose humor, while definitely funny and
clever, is often considered somewhat risqué and even the
object of complaints from certain social and religious groups.
Interestingly, although I strongly disagree, because the
film shows some of these wonderful cartoons, the movie itself
is listed in the category of “comedy drama” despite the fact
that the story itself is of a life that can hardly be considered
as having any semblance of humor.