It’s hard to believe that a full length picture can be done about the first year, or even more specifically, the first class for five medical school students. However, Gross Anatomy is one movie that attempts this feat, and the attempt is not a good one.

The main characters are a happy-go-lucky/borderline obnoxious guy named Joe (Matthew Modine), and Lori (Daphne Zuniga), a beautiful, serious and stressed-out med student. They make up part of a cadavers team that includes three others: a stereotypical pretty boy brown-noser, a married, pregnant girl and another serious and stressed- out guy who is Joe’s roommate.

In fact, everyone in the group is under a ton of stress because of their studies except for Joe, who claims to have “great retention.” His only problem is with one of his teachers, Professor Woodruff (Christine Lahti).

Joe and Professor Woodruff have a very conflicting relationship, but it is also a confusing one. It basically consists of Joe being obnoxious to her, and her being pompous to him in return. Nothing is ever really resolved.

Confusing relationship #2 deals with Joe and Lori. He has quite a crush on her, and a lot of time is spent developing this angle, but the dialogue between the two is forced and superficial. Again, the story between them doesn’t seem to go anywhere.

There are plenty of problems with the three supporting actors too, and most of them are stress-induced. The problem here is that their problems seem contrived, like Joe’s roommate’s addiction to speed.

The actual class scenes do give the viewer a feeling of how competitive and stressful medical school can be, but it’s a very bleak portrayal. There is nothing human about the medical profession in this movie, although it is an issue that is briefly discussed by Professor Woodruff.

This movie would almost work better as a documentary, as the actual storylines in it leave much to be desired. If you’re intersested in seeing what a dissected cadaver looks like, go see this movie. If you want a little more substance, though, Gross Anatomy is not the movie to see.