"The Professor" Movie Review

Jim Carrey once said that actors choose certain roles because it's a reflection of what they're going through in their personal lives. With The Professor, a film about a cancer patient living his last days with total recklessness, I can see the correlation between the film and Johnny Depp's current situation. Amber was Johnny's cancer diagnosis and it was only a matter of time before the turd hit the fan. The longer she was around, the more reckless he became. The film felt like it was his way of saying, "I'm healing. Give me some time."

The Professor is actually more realistic than some give it credit for being. The opening shot shows Richard (the professor) getting the news that he has stage 4 lung cancer which has spread to his spine and adrenals. Treatment would give him a year. No treatment would give him 6 months. Instead of opting for treatment and spending his final days in a hospital bed, he decides to not take the treatment and do whatever he pleases. Looking back on his life, he sees that he didn't live, just merely existed. So, what little time he has left, he wants to do things he never would have before.

While most of the film resonated with me on a positive level, there were a couple moments that I felt were a bit unnecessary and were just thrown in for comedic effect. There's a right way and a wrong way to approach certain things. I could see what writer/director Wayne Roberts was trying to accomplish, but, in actuality, those moments just made for some real awkwardness. Overall, though, the writing was right-on-target.

The big question the film poses is one that we should all ponder: Have you really lived? Have you appreciated your life the way you should have? Or have you merely floated along, existing? The film's message is powerful, if you have the presence of mind to let it in and learn from it. Take the risks, say yes to things you want to do. Don't let life pass you by. Go out with memories, not regrets.

In conclusion, this film touched me in so many ways. It made me laugh and shed a couple tears all the while teaching me what I knew all along but didn't have the courage to accept: death is inevitable and the only way to live is to treat every day like it's your last day. Holding hate or grudges in your heart eats up your time. Let go and live while you still can. I give the film a 3 out of 4.