You Don't Know Jack, starring Al Pacino, is a HBO cable television movie debuting on Saturday, April 24 2010. Al Pacino stars as the controversial real life Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The movie by Barry Levinson also stars Susan Sarandon, Danny Huston, Brenda Vaccaro and John Goodman.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian
Dr. Jack Kevorkian is nearly synonymous with mercy killing. The doctor took on the end of life debate with his Mercy Machine, as he assisted suicides. You Don't Know Jack is about the man behind the sensational headlines. The HBO film is about his obsession with challenging rules that people live and die by.
Jack Kevorkian, now 81, served nine years in prison for his cause of the patient's right to die with dignity. The controversial doctor is now out of prison and living in Michigan. Kevorkian was interviewed several times by writer Adam Mazur, who also interviewed several of his friends in writing the script for the movie.
Kevorkian's lawyer, Defense attorney Geoffrey Fieger was among the people interviewed. Initially Fieger resisted the project. In fact, the lawyer hung up on Executive Producer about 20 times before his client assured him that the film makers would treat the project with dignity. Fieger was one of the people closest to Kevorkian during the ten year period covered in the film.
Atotrney Geoffrey Fieger provided legal counsel and representation to Kevorkian pro bono for years. Fieger maintained that Jack’s legal woes were a civil rights issue and therefore not subject to charge. It is doubtful that the doctor could have paid the legal fees anyway because he did not charge his patients for his services. He also paid for the materials used in the procedures out of his own pocket.
Jack Kevorkian had 130 patients, each with a compelling story. The film makers used the stories of just a few of the people to represent all of the patients.
You Don't Know Jack
The movie begins in 1989, when Dr. Jack Kevorkian (Al Pacino) was a 61-year-old former pathologist. Kevorkian launched his crusade to provide assisted suicide to people who are terminally ill, a procedure that he considered to be a humane and dignified option for for the end of life.
Kevorkian was assisted in his crusade by his friend Neal Nicol (John Goodman) and Kevorkian's older sister Margo Janus (Branda Vacarro), Kevorkian begins offering “death counseling” services to a growing clientele, seemingly grateful for his services. Kevorkian earned the support of Hemlock Society activist Janet Good (Susan Sarandon), but he also attracted the wrath of the county prosecutor’s office.
Al Pacino, who portrays Kevorkian in You Don't Know Jack finds the title of the movie appropriate, stating in a HBO press release “Jack Kevorkian is a person you think you know. But at the end of the story, you find yourself saying, ‘He’s different than I would have thought he would be. And that’s what I found out as an actor throughout all my research – that this guy is much different than his image. Hopefully, this comes across in the movie, because this acknowledgment is really overdue for Jack.”
Cast of You Don't Know Jack
- Al Pacino as Dr. Jack Kevorkian
- Brenda Vaccaro as Margo, Kevorkian's sister
- John Goodman as Neal Nichol
- Susan Sarandon as Janet Good – Hemlock society activist
- Danny Huston as Attorney Geoffrey Fieger
- Executive Producers: Barry Levinson, Steve Le Jones, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Glenn Rigberg and Tom Fontana
- Producer: Scott Ferguso
The film debuts on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:00 PM ET/PT and will air on additional playdates thereafter on HBO cable television.
