First Do No Harm Movie Review 1997

Well-intentioned but routine TV movie depicts the crisis of the farming Reimuller family when the youngest child, four-year-old Robbie (Adkins), is diagnosed with epilepsy. Their health insurance won't cover Robbie's drug treatment and the bank is about to foreclose on the farm so dad Dave (Ward) takes up truck driving while mom Lori (Streep) tries to hold things together. Dismayed at Robbie's doctors, Lori also pursues an unorthodox treatment for Robbie that involves diet therapy rather than drugs. Director Abraham's own son has his epilepsy controlled by this alternative method.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on VHS
Running time 94 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Insurance, Disease of the Week, Family Ties, Doctors & Nurses, Moms

Screenplay

Ann Beckett

Cast

Meryl Streep, Fred Ward, Seth Adkins, Allison Janney, Michael Yarmush

Cinematography

Pierre Letarte

Director

Jim Abrahams

Producer

Jim Abrahams