Breast Men
| Breast Men | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lawrence O'Neil |
| Produced by |
Gary Lucchesi Guy Riedel |
| Written by | |
| Starring |
David Schwimmer Chris Cooper |
| Music by | Dennis McCarthy |
| Cinematography | Robert M. Stevens |
| Edited by | Michael Jablow |
| Distributed by | HBO |
|
Release date
|
December 13, 1997 |
|
Running time
|
96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Breast Men is a 1997 American, semibiographical, dark comedy film; it was written by and directed by Lawrence O'Neil for HBO.
Dr. Kevin Saunders (played by David Schwimmer) and Dr. William Larson (played by Chris Cooper) pioneer the usage of silicone breast implants. Saunders and Larson gain immense financial success as cosmetic breast augmentation surgeries rise in acceptance and frequency in American culture, but follow different life paths thereafter: Dr. Saunders becoming a narcissist interested in developing and implanting the exaggeratedly larger-sized types of implants popular with a mostly erotic dancer and female porn star clientele. Doctor Larsen, Saunders' former mentor and business partner, is portrayed as continuing to pursue a more serious, clinical approach (e.g., reconstructive breast surgeries for female breast cancer survivors, etc.).
The film very loosely tracks the history of the real-life breast implant phenomenon, from its radical introduction through its incredible popularity, through the controversial link of its silicone base to various types of illnesses and cancers (culminating in the Food and Drug Administration's moratorium on use of silicone in breast implants, leading the industry to use saline ones, instead). The story is interspersed with interview snippets of women from the 1970s who underwent breast augmentations with varying degrees of success, including their likes and dislikes about them. The interviews are marked by the fact that they show only the interviewees' nude breasts and torso.
In reality, silicone implants were developed by Texas-based plastic surgeons Drs. Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin.
Much of the filming was done in Galveston, Texas, and includes numerous interior and exterior shots of historic Star Drug, a drug store and soda fountain with a distinctive vintage ceramic Coca-Cola sign displayed over its front door. Star Drug burned in 1998 but has since been rebuilt. Limited footage is shown, as well, of the University of Texas Medical Branch campus.
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