''Checking Out'' is a 1988 American comedy

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

, directed by

David Leland David Leland (born 20 April 1947) is an English film director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut ''Wish You Were Here'' in 1987. Life He initially trained as an actor at Central School of Speech ...

and starring

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

Plot

Ray Macklin is obsessed with his own mortality. When a close friend suddenly dies of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at a barbecue, Ray becomes convinced that every ache, pain and twinge he experiences is a sign of his own impending death. His unjustified fears lead him into ever more extensive

hypochondria Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...

Cast

as Ray Macklin * Melanie Mayron as Jenny Macklin * Michael Tucker as Harry Lardner *

Kathleen York Kathleen York is an American actress, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter recording artist. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for " In the Deep" from the 2004 film ''Crash.'' Life and career Actress Ac ...

as Diana *

Ann Magnuson Ann Magnuson (born January 4, 1956) is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. She was described by ''The New York Times'' in 1990 as "An endearing theatrical chameleon who has as many characters at her fingertips as Li ...

as Connie Hagen *

Allan Havey Allan Havey (born September 19, 1954) is an American stand-up comic and actor. He started his career as a comedian in New York City in 1981. Overview Havey made his national debut in 1986 on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' and made many ap ...

as Pat Hagen *

Jo Harvey Allen Jo Harvey Allen is an American writer, actress, and artist. Education Allen was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, to a dress shop manager mother and a carpenter father. In 1961, she married artist and singer Terry Allen and moved to Los Ange ...

as Barbara *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a ...

as Mr. D'Amato * Billy Beck as Father Carmody *

Trudy Dochterman Trudy is a diminutive of Gertrude. Notable people with the name include: People * Trudy Adams (born 1964), American actress * Trudy Anderson (born 1959), New Zealand cricketer * Trudy Bellinger, British music video director * Trudy Benson (bo ...

as Val (as Trudi Dochtermann) * John Durbin as Spencer Gillinger * Adelle Lutz as Dr. Helmsley *

Felton Perry Felton Perry (born September 11, 1945) is an American actor. He is most notable for his roles as Deputy Obrah Eaker in the 1973 movie '' Walking Tall'', and as Inspector Early Smith in the 1973 movie '' Magnum Force'', the second film in the ''D ...

as Dr. Duffin *

Allan Rich Benjamin Norman Schultz (February 8, 1926 – August 22, 2020), known professionally as Allan Rich, was an American character actor. Career Rich began his acting career when he was nine years old. He appeared in the Broadway productions ''I'll ...

as Dr. Haskell *

Danton Stone Danton Stone (born in Queens, New York) is an American stage, film and television actor. Stage Broadway *''Fifth of July'' (1980) as Weston Hurley *''Angels Fall'' (1983) as Don Tabaha *''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (2001) as Martini Of ...

as Dr. Wolfe

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

the film has an approval rating of 20% based on reviews from 5 critics.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

of the

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...

gave the film 2 out of 4, and wrote: "The problem with Checking Out is that it provides us with fears we can understand and responses that seem to have been phoned in from a sitcom."

Home media

MGM released a full screen DVD in 2003.

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

released a new DVD of the film, as well as a Blu-ray of the film on January 18, 2011.

References

External links

* * * 1988 films 1988 comedy films American comedy films Films with screenplays by Joe Eszterhas Warner Bros. films Films scored by Carter Burwell Films directed by David Leland 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{1980s-comedy-film-stub