''Living Proof'' is a 2008
Lifetime Television
Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...
film, directed by
Dan Ireland
Daniel Frederick Ireland (May 11, 1949 – April 14, 2016) was an American-Canadian film producer and director.''. In: cinemawithoutborders.com, July 5, 2012 He was the co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival.
Biography
Ireland was b ...
. The film stars
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
as
Dr. Dennis Slamon
Dennis Joseph Slamon (born August 6, 1948), is an American oncologist and chief of the division of Hematology-Oncology at UCLA. He is best known for his work identifying the HER2/neu oncogene that is amplified in 25-33% of breast cancer patients ...
, a doctor who is trying to find a cure for breast cancer. The film also stars
Paula Cale
Paula Cale (born June 2, 1970) is an American actress best known for her role as Joanie Hansen on the television series ''Providence''.
Early life
Cale was born Paula Korologos in Great Falls, Virginia.
Her father, Tom C. Korologos, worked as a ...
,
Angie Harmon
Angela Michelle Harmon (born August 10, 1972) is an American actress and model. She won ''Seventeens modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, signed with IMG Models, and appeared on covers for magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Esquire''. ...
and
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress, known for her work in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Bynes began her career as a child actress, working on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' ...
in supporting roles.
Plot
The film follows the true story of Dr. Dennis Slamon (played by
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
), who helped develop the
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
drug
Herceptin
Trastuzumab, sold under the brand name Herceptin among others, is a monoclonal antibody used to treat breast cancer and stomach cancer. It is specifically used for cancer that is HER2 receptor positive. It may be used by itself or together wi ...
, over the course of 8 years from 1988 to 1996. Dr. Slamon is a physician scientist at
UCLA Medical Center
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as ''UCLA Medical Center'', "RRMC" or "Ronald Reagan") is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United ...
(
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
), where he has developed the experimental drug Herceptin, which he believes will become a treatment for breast cancer. However, when the drug company stops funding the research, philanthropists, including Lilly Tartikoff (Angie Harmon) and
Ronald Perelman
Ronald Owen Perelman (; born January 1, 1943) is an American banker, businessman and investor. MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, his company, has invested in companies with interests in groceries, cigars, licorice, makeup, cars, photography, t ...
help him continue drug research. Funding was done with an initial donation from Perelman's
Revlon
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...
charity, and continued over the years with the "Fire and Ice Ball" organized by Tartikoff.
Eventually the drug company funds the research and the drug goes through three trials before gaining approval from the FDA (
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
). Prior to the trials, the drug undergoes a preclinical animal trial. Nicole (Tammy Blanchard), a young mother with stage 4 cancer, receives the drug first. Although her mother Elizabeth (Swoosie Kurtz) pleads with Dr. Slamon, Nicole is not included in the subsequent trials as she does not meet the trial requirements. The women in the trials, particularly the first trial, band together. They handle their disease and drug trial, with humor—Tish (Jennifer Coolidge), or with alternative therapy—Tina (Trudie Styler). The stories of Barbara (Bernadette Peters) and Ellie (Regina King) are followed throughout, as they go through the trials and eventual recovery. Some patients involved in the tests die, but ultimately Slamon's work with the drug changes the course of breast cancer treatment.
Cast
*
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
as
Dr. Dennis Slamon
Dennis Joseph Slamon (born August 6, 1948), is an American oncologist and chief of the division of Hematology-Oncology at UCLA. He is best known for his work identifying the HER2/neu oncogene that is amplified in 25-33% of breast cancer patients ...
*
Paula Cale
Paula Cale (born June 2, 1970) is an American actress best known for her role as Joanie Hansen on the television series ''Providence''.
Early life
Cale was born Paula Korologos in Great Falls, Virginia.
Her father, Tom C. Korologos, worked as a ...
as Donna Slamon, Dr. Slamon's wife
*
Angie Harmon
Angela Michelle Harmon (born August 10, 1972) is an American actress and model. She won ''Seventeens modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, signed with IMG Models, and appeared on covers for magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Esquire''. ...
as
Lilly Tartikoff
Lilly Tartikoff Karatz (née Samuels; born June 23, 1953 in Los Angeles, California) is an American activist, socialite, restaurateur and breast cancer fundraiser.
Early life and marriage
Born as Lilly Samuels, the daughter of Jack and Bluma Sa ...
, wife of
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as ''Hill Stre ...
(NBC Television president)
*
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress, known for her work in television and film throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Bynes began her career as a child actress, working on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series ''All That'' ...
as Jamie McGrath, Dr. Slamon's student assistant
*
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...
as Barbara Bradfield, a retired art teacher and the first woman the drug trial saved by Herceptin
*
Regina King
Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, ''Time'' magazine named her one ...
as Ellie Jackson, a fashion designer and breast cancer survivor
*
John Benjamin Hickey
John Benjamin Hickey (born June 25, 1963) is an American actor with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in ''The Normal Heart''. ...
as Blake Rogers, Dr. Slamon's friend and fellow scientist
*
Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz ( ; born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards.
Kurtz made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''Ah, Wilderness''. She has received five Tony ...
as Elizabeth Aldridge, Nicole's mother
*
Melissa McBride
Melissa Suzanne McBride (born May 23, 1965) is an American actress. Her breakout role was Carol Peletier on the AMC series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). She has garnered critical acclaim and received multiple awards and nominations for h ...
as Sally
*
Tammy Blanchard
Tammy Blanchard (born December 14, 1976) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as teenage Judy Garland in the critically acclaimed television film '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), for which she received ...
as Nicole Wilson, the first woman to receive Herceptin
*
Amy Madigan
Amy Marie Madigan (born September 11, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1985 film '' Twice in a Lifetime''. Her other film credits include '' Love Child'' (1982), ''Places ...
as Fran Visco, President of the
National Breast Cancer Coalition
The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) is a grassroots advocacy organization that combines the power of advocacy, education, policy, and research to unite around the goal of ending breast cancer.
It was founded in 1991 by a group of breast ...
*
Trudie Styler
Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress and film producer.
Early life and family
Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years ...
as Tina, participant in Phase One of the Her2 study
*
Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in American Pie (series), ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), Legally Blonde (franchise), ''Legally Bl ...
as Tish, participant in Phase One of the Her2 study
*Bruce McKinnon as Dean Bradfield, Barbara Bradfield's loving husband
*Lance E. Nichols as Dr. Brown, Barbara's physician
*
Rhoda Griffis
Rhoda Griffis (born January 9, 1965) is an American actress who has played supporting roles both in independent and mainstream films and television.
Life and career
Griffis appeared onstage in ''Angels in America'', '' Proof'', '' Collected Sto ...
as Bindy Hawn, a member of the Revlon charity board
*
William Ragsdale
William Ragsdale (born January 19, 1961) is an American actor known for playing teenaged vampire slayer Charley Brewster in the horror vampire film ''Fright Night'' (1985) and Herman Brooks in the television series ''Herman's Head'' (1991–94) ...
as Andy Marks
''Note: the women patients portrayed are composites with the exception of Barbara Bradfield.''
Soundtrack
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
has written "Song for the Hopeful". The song is also part of Connick's album ''
What a Night! A Christmas Album
''What a Night! A Christmas Album'', by American singer, pianist and bandleader Harry Connick Jr., was released on November 4, 2008., being his third Christmas album, since 1993's ''When My Heart Finds Christmas'' and 2003's ''Harry for the Holi ...
'', which is to be released in November 2008.
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
has announced it will give a contribution to breast cancer charities, for each download of "Song for the Hopeful" (Theme from "Living Proof") from
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, where it was released on October 7, 2008.
Production
Teleplay writer Vivienne Radkoff had the story for about seven years before it was completed. It is an adaptation of
Robert Bazell
Robert Bazell is adjunct professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. He is the former chief science and health correspondent for NBC News.
Biography
Education
Bazell graduated from the University of California, ...
's book ''HER-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer''. The film was the first mainstream feature film to be scored as a solo project by composer
Halli Cauthery.
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...
, in her first television project, is executive producer, with
Neil Meron
Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...
and
Craig Zadan
Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...
producers. Zellweger has produced one film prior to this, ''
Miss Potter
''Miss Potter'' is a 2006 Biographical film, biographical Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Chris Noonan. It is based on the life of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, and combines stories from her own life with ...
'' (2006). Zellweger suggested casting
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
for the film. They had acted together in the romantic comedy ''
New in Town
''New in Town'' is a 2009 American-Canadian romantic comedy drama film, directed by Jonas Elmer, starring Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. It was filmed in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, and in Los Angeles ...
''.
Filming of ''Living Proof'' took place in
in 2008. The filming location was suggested by Connick, because, he said: "It's expensive to film in Los Angeles, and my being from New Orleans, it's a chance to help the city get back on its feet a little bit by employing a lot of the local people."
Release
Release
The film premiered on October 18, 2008, for Lifetime's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" public service and advocacy campaign, during the
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to in the United States as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awaren ...
. The movie averaged 2.5 million viewers in its debut on October 18, 2008.
A red carpet premiere evening screening took place in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
on September 24, 2008, with a reception following with Harry Connick, Jr. and Bernadette Peters performing. Subsequent screenings took place in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
(September 25),
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
(October 7), and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(October 9).
Critical reception
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote: "Earnest, emotional and cast to the hilt with cameos for actresses, "Living Proof" rises above most Lifetime movie fare...There's also some nice camaraderie among the women patients, who are introduced as the song "Say a Little Prayer" appropriately plays in the background. It's that sort of movie – one without much use for subtlety – but the theme and execution should resonate strongly with those who tune in, helping promote the network's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" public-awareness campaign.Lifetime movies often get a bad rap...but every , they genuinely do some good by doing well."
The ''
Denver Post
''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...
'' critic wrote:"A stunning lineup of talented actresses combines with a lively script to distinguish what might have been a fairly ordinary disease movie on Lifetime this weekend. A based-on-truth testament to perseverance and essential human goodness, the film offers proof that determined individuals can win the fight against huge, heartless drug companies."
The ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' critic wrote:"'Living Proof' knows its target audience, though, and appeals to it with an earnestness made more engaging by a string of winning performances. Connick sustains the breezy charm he has shown as an actor and musician, but also shows a decided urgency in tracing Slamon's often frustrating, sometimes desperate struggle to get the support and funds required for his work...The women who take part in those trials are presented as a motley sorority and portrayed with a decided lack of vanity. Glamorous gals such as Bernadette Peters, Trudie Styler and Tammy Blanchard turn up looking weary and strained but also evoke the humor and resilience of their characters...Swoosie Kurtz and Regina King add extra sass as, respectively, Blanchard's mother and another young woman who survives cancer only to see it return in a more aggressive form."
[Gardner, Elys]
"Here's 'Living Proof': Lifetime knows its viewers well"
USA Today", October 2008
References
External links
*
Streaming video of ''Living Proof''at
MyLifetime.com (not available for European residents)
''Variety'' article, "Hosts set for third annual Fire & Ice Ball", November 18, 1992
{{DEFAULTSORT:Living Proof (Film)
2008 television films
2008 films
Breast cancer
Films based on non-fiction books
Films directed by Dan Ireland
Films shot in New Orleans
Lifetime (TV network) films
Films about cancer
2000s English-language films