On B List of Movie Reviews

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Bad for Each Other (1953)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 2/24

BadEach
2/24: Bad for Each Other is a fine drama starring Charlton Heston.

Thanks to him and the intelligent script, it's a short fast-paced picture about medical ambitions and ethics. For the longest time, there's no story; rather, it's this: is the doctor more interested in money or medicine? At first, he thought having a steady stream of patients would set him up for life, no matter how vacuous their ailments were. They just wanted to be seen and paid attention by a young, dashing-looking doctor.

Of course, Charlton Heston is too handsome to look past. He steals the show in every scene. Forget Lizabeth Scott; she's nothing compared to him. At first, because of her silly character and the film title, I thought I was going to watch a film noir, but it never materialized. So, why not come up with a better title like Security? At any rate, Dr. Tom Owen will be fine without Helen Curtis; it won't take long for women to flock him, but he's almost too indifferent to care.

There are good points being made, especially when it comes to who's doing the actual work. Why should Owen let Dr. Homer Gleeson take credit for something he didn't do? Besides, Owen doesn't need him because he's Moses and Judah Ben-Hur all rolled into one. Oddly, the practice of "ghost surgeons" was a heavily discussed topic in its day. I shudder to think of how bad it was back then.

All in all, unfairly dismissed by everybody, Bad for Each Other should be seen by fans of Charlton Heston and intelligent screenplays.