While Anna Nicole Smith was a whirlwind in early 2000s pop culture with her reality show and tabloid news, her tragic death came as a shock and there had to be somebody to blame. Trust Me, I’m a Doctor is the story of one such person who doesn’t know why he’s to blame in the situation. Briarcliff Entertainment has just released the trailer, which plays out surprisingly more like a comedy despite the rather serious subject matter. The movie looks like it is capitalizing on the absurd and surreal reality of the situation with the comedic tone.
The movie, written and directed by Thane Economou, is based on Kapoor’s memoir of the same name. Kal Penn stars with Abbie Cornish as Anna Nicole, Linda Hamilton plays Kapoor’s lawyer, Ellyn Garofalo, with Dhirendra, Dan Willmott, Al Sapienza, Elon Gold, Kathy Maloney, David Julian Hirsh, and Nico DeCastris leading the cast.
The official synopsis reads,
“TRUST ME, I’M A DOCTOR follows Dr. Sandeep Kapoor after his life is turned upside down when he is implicated in the death of his former patient, model and reality television star Anna Nicole Smith. Set against the height of the early 2000s tabloid era, the film chronicles Kapoor’s fight to clear his name as paparazzi descend on his office, police raid his home, private journals are leaked, and every aspect of his personal life becomes public. With the guidance of respected attorney Ellyn Garofalo, Kapoor must navigate a high-stakes drug conspiracy trial while confronting the intersection of celebrity, justice, politics and personal redemption.”
Ryan Hawkins, Al Engemann, Rebecca Case and Geenah Krisht serve as producers.
It’s a delicate thing to portray Anna Nicole Smith, as the former Playboy playmate had a larger-than-life personality, which can be slippery slope leading into parody. In Cornish’s case, Penn thinks she did a phenomenal job. “She really embodied Anna Nicole in a very striking way,” Penn told Variety‘s Marc Malkin. “She was a completely different person. I briefly met Anna Nicole a handful of times way back when I was starting my career, and she was on a reality show. I never really had any conversations of any note with her but it definitely brought me back to that time. Abbie is excellent. She’s phenomenal in this role.”
Speaking about Cornish, Penn says her portrayal of Anna Nicole Smith is respectful and definitely not a caricature. “I didn’t feel like it was an impersonation,” he says. “I felt like she brought all of the heart and the vulnerability and the complexity of Anne Nicole Smith. What made my job easier also is anytime you’re in scenes like that, and you know my character is sort of responding to the Anna character, and then Abbie just walks in as Anna, my job is immediately easier.”
Trust Me, I’m a Doctor opens in theaters on October 16