The Heart Specialist (2006) User Reviews

Watch if you want to, but I would rather watch paint dry

[AgeOfAquarius · 1/10 · 14 August 2012]

Watched 20 minutes of this last night and stopped. My wife and I both agreed that nothing could save this film so why continue with the torture of watching. I understood the plot but the way they went about it was brutal. The transitions between scenes were horrible. It seemed to jump from one scene to another without any connection. Wood Harris was not the best actor to be cast in his part. I saw nothing positive out of this film to keep my interest. I love Zoe Saldana, but this will be just a tiny bump on her career. I feel for those who went to see it and had to sit there and suffer. I'm glad it was on Showtime so I simply just changed the channel.

I have seen many reviewers like this film because it avoids the typical stereotypes and negative images that some films, built around a Black cast, tend to lean on. I say look at "Love Jones", "Love and Basketball", "The Best Man" and "Brown Sugar" as films that gave us a well rounded script which is built on all aspects of Black culture. If you are looking for the Indie style of film with a Black cast, I have enjoyed "Hav Plenty" and "I'm Through with White Girls." I've seen flaws with these films also but I would recommend them. As for "The Heart Specialist", I love seeing our people on the big screen, but I personally cannot recommend this film to anyone.

Worst

[dayle2 · 1/10 · 26 January 2011]

I don't get the positive reviews; I thought SKYLINE was the worst movie I've ever seen, but this one just took over the spot as the worst - and I'm 51 and have seen TONS of movies! I read the premise; thought this would be a comedy/drama about medical interns in a hospital but it wasn't what I expected! I've worked in the medical field for 25 yrs and I was laughing at the scene where an INTERN is performing a SPINAL PUNCTURE...BY HIMSELF??? Dr. Ray sure was left all alone for an intern! Interns are people who have book learning but no hands on experience! This movie would have fit better on TV, like on Comedy Central. I noted that it WAS a TV movie from 2006? And they just now released it? WHY?? There were TWO good parts - the part I fell asleep through (lady sick at a party?) and THE END....

This is an EXCELLENT film about two African American doctors.

[tangie85 · 10/10 · 18 September 2006]

I had to give this film a 10 simply because it did what so many films thrown at black audiences have FAILED MISERABLY to do. This film was void of all the video whore clichés, and it also skipped the gangsters, rappers, and foul language. It examined several relationships among physicians, African Americans, and African American male/female romantic relationships on a completely new and refreshing level. I was highly impressed with the films careful mix of light headed humor with some pretty tough and heavy issues. The film will leave you feeling happy and sad all at the same time. I saw it at the Boston Film Festival as well. It premiered at AMC Loews Boston and I truly hope this film makes it to much larger audiences. Black People (and EVERYONE else) would LOVE a movie like this- if only the industry was SMART enough to put them out there!

As an extra- if your a doctor, a resident, a medical student, a premedical student, married to a doctor, have a doctor sibling, have a doctor in the family, or know a great doctor period- they would love this film as well. It portrayed residency and the practice in a true-to-life way that was greatly appreciated by the doctors, residents, and medical students who viewed the film. Dennis Cooper completely his residency in internal medicine- so he definitely applied his knowledge/experience to the film and that is greatly apparent.

Great Movie

[IluvQT_07 · 10/10 · 14 September 2006]

I saw the movie recently during the Boston Film festival. The movie was very entertaining and is something that I believe the world, and black America is ready to see. It has comedy,drama, the soundtrack is great. It is an all around good film. The characters were well developed, and the movie had a wide variety of prominent actors, such as Wood Harris(Remember the Titains, Paid in Full), Brian J. White (Trois 3, Mr 3000), and the wonderful Zoe Saldana(Drumline, Pirates of the Caribbean). The movie tackles many relevant topics in todays society in a short period of time, and does so with class and grace. This is not only a story about life in the hospital, however it is a story about people and their personal journey to discovering who they are, or who they are going to be.

What the world needs to see!

[avidmoviecritics · 10/10 · 17 September 2006]

This is a really funny (and sexy) movie - that is not just silly but has great acting. It's the kind of movie where the characters are so entertaining that you feel like you are connected to everyone in the theater. I saw it at the Boston film festival, and I found myself frequently laughing out loud with everyone else, and also moved by some of the movie's more serious parts. It's a unique movie about two doctors, and I don't want to give anything away but there are some powerful scenes as well really funny ones - plus the dialogue is great. Wood Harris' character has a unique relationship with his girlfriend Zoe Saldana, and Brian White and Mya are also funny and sexy in their roles. If you get a chance to see it - go - you won't be disappointed. It's worth seeing again. Wood Harris deserves an award.

See the Movie !

[agmail-oc · 10/10 · 14 January 2011]

Great film... just saw this a week ago and enjoyed the whole experience. Good characters, clever plot line and fun to watch. I am not sure I understand the 3.5 star rating, I thought it was much better than that.

I thought it intriguing it was targeted at black audiences. I think it works well on its own and speaks to relevant relationships between men and women as well as physicians in a tough setting.

One other thought, this would make a great series and I hope the producers think about that... whether TV or sequels. I liked the characters, I liked the topics and would hope to see them develop over time.If there is a DVD, I will get it.

Cool, fun, reality.

[kathrynevans · 9/10 · 26 January 2007]

I worked in a hospital for several years and commend this film in its ability to realistically portray the life of an intern and resident at such an institution. I was also impressed with how well the characters were portrayed by the talented actors in the film. Zoe Saldana made her character so interesting and likable, that I could easily see her as someone cool to hang out with.

Wood Harris and Brian White have great chemistry on the screen. Kenny Choi's character goes through an amazing progression. Mya surprises us all with an amazing performance and Scot Paulin along with David Lee play characters that you love to hate.

It was good to see a film that promoted the concept of African Americans in professional positions - without the stereotypical implications of gangs and violence. The story was touching and inspirational for anyone in any circumstances to feel good about what they do and to believe in themselves.

Hopefully, as this country and the world becomes more diverse, this film will not be disregarded and more films like this will gain exposure in all audiences across the board. I think it is very important that this film gets the recognition that it deserves.

You'll laugh, You'll cry, You will love this movie !

[palihi · 8/10 · 12 September 2006]

So I don't ruin it for you, I'll be very brief. There's some great acting and funny lines from the attractive cast. A young graduate of Harvard Med School (Brian White) finds out he doesn't know as much as he thinks about people. He goes to a small hospital in Florida for his internship because a girlfriend (Mya) left him for a job as a TV Producer. His Senior Resident (Wood Harris), helped marvelously by his 'creative collaborator'(Zoe Saldana) bring him up to speed. They help protect his career and show him the wider possibilities that come from being a compassionate doctor instead of a player who just wants to make money (as seems to be true for many of my pre-med friends).

Entertaining & fun movie

[florencelw2000 · 9/10 · 16 January 2011]

I saw the movie & I have to say that I enjoyed it tremendously. It was light & entertaining but it has a solid story line where anybody including myself can follow & relate to the story line. It portrays the daily things that could happen in life - happy/positive or sad/negative. Not only I was entertained by this movie, I also felt that I learned a thing or two about how people grow through life experiences. Each character plays a very distinct & interesting role. They are all fit into a great story & it has a great mix of characters. Love it! Love it! Love it! I definitely recommend this movie. I hope it will do well at the theaters. I definitely would like to see more of this kind of movie.

Great movie for both men and women!

[qcandoit · 8/10 · 12 December 2011]

I thought this was a great movie for men and women. I liked how they incorporated health information in with the comedy to help people decide to get Prostate Exams and Testicular exams. Two very important medical needs for black men. Please see this movie! Thanks for making this! I also love Zoe and Wood Harris - as a couple they have absolutely amazing chemistry. I wished we could have seem a bit more of the life of Ray after he began to feel and care about people. I think that would have been the real coup de gras. I movie did give us a brief glimpse into his new life. All in all I was extremely impressed! I hope it does well online and in private sales. I would love for the actors to be rewarded for their efforts.

Great movie

[j-finn14 · 10/10 · 23 November 2011]

I think this was a great movie. It leaned on some stereo-types but in the end it also went against them. I think it was well written. Unfortunately I believe it will only resonate to African American people. I don't think many other races will get it. I really like how it was wrapped up in the end. As a single African American male it made me think. It got me involved with the characters. In the end it had me going Ohhhh. Even the parts that I did initially not like because of typical stereo-types made sense to me. It was also interesting to see Zoe in an early role in a movie that was not a block buster. She still had the same flair and great acting skills that made you want to care and become invested in the character to the point that you cared about what happened to her.

Loved this movie

[monicawilson-04518 · 10/10 · 13 October 2019]

I am glad I didn't listen to the rotten tomatoes score where a zero was given. I truly Enjoyed this movie. It made me feel all sorts of ways. I laughed, cried and just felt whatever the characters felt. It's set up is in a hospital with interns but it's story line is more about friendship and love in many forms.

Note to self...never go by ratings. Find out for yourself or you may miss out on a great movie!!

Excellent! I Totally Agree.

[ComPub · 12 November 2011]

Tangie85 wrote: "I had to give this film a 10 simply because it did what so many films thrown at black audiences have FAILED MISERABLY to do. This film was void of all the video whore clichés, and it also skipped the gangsters, rappers, and foul language. It examined several relationships among physicians, African Americans, and African American male/female romantic relationships on a completely new and refreshing level." This is simply an EXCELLENT MOVIE, and as I watched it (before reading the above review), I was continually amazed at the intelligence manifested, without the ubiquitous African American stereotypes. Truly "a completely new and refreshing level" -- and first released 5 years ago in 2006! The director/writer (Dennis Cooper) & everyone involved deserves kudos. Thank you all for such a great movie. Special kudos to Zoe Saldana in 2006; we can see why you started getting top billings in blockbusters! So many movies are truly "blaxsploitation" movies, but as the other reviewer said, this is just a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. We were able to look at the real motives of the movie-maker, without being dragged and diverted into well-overdone stereotypes. My wife and I are now renting it for the second time! Again, thank you to all involved for this EXCELLENT PRODUCTION! A WONDERFUL film! By the way, I think Hollywood needs to take a fresh look at Mr. Cooper. Good viewing!