The Professor (2018 film)

Richard Brown, an English professor at a New England college, is in the office of his doctor and is told that he has advanced stage 4 cancer of his lungs, which has spread throughout his body and is terminal. His life expectancy is set by the doctor as being six months without treatment, which might be extended to 12–18 months with cancer treatment. Richard is devastated by the news and breaks down.

Upon arrival at home for dinner, Richard decides to tell his wife Veronica and daughter Olivia, but Olivia interrupts and announces that she is a lesbian. Veronica dismisses this as a phase, which causes their daughter to storm out. Veronica then confesses that she is having an affair with Henry Wright, the dean of the college where Richard works. Stunned, Richard does not tell her the truth about his diagnosis.

The next day, Richard starts weeding out the students whom he feels are not truly dedicated to English and reading. He offers everyone a C if they walk out the class as being of no interest to them, leaving him with a small core group of students. He dismisses them saying he is going on a 72-hour bender.

At home Richard and his wife agree to live their lives as they please but discreetly to spare their daughter. Veronica asks to try his drugs thinking they are recreational prescription drugs rather than cancer medication. Olivia arrives home with her new girlfriend and is embarrassed to find both parents drunk and high.

Richard asks his friend, Peter Matthew, his department's chairman, to arrange for an immediate sabbatical. Peter tells him that it is impossible on such short notice but relents when Richard tells him of his terminal illness. Peter says he will try his best to get him the time off work.

Richard vents his frustration to his students and encourages them not to fall into the traps that he has. The students are highly responsive, with one of the students, Danny, later offering Richard some pot brownies and a sexual tryst in Richard's office.

Peter persuades Richard to go to a therapeutic group for people with terminal cancer but Richard walks out calling it a circle-jerk and wishing everyone well with their impending deaths. The two end up in a bar where Claire, one of his students arrives. She tells them she is the dean's niece. Peter goes home drunk but Richard stays with Claire and tells her he has cancer. She invites him to slow dance with her.

Richard's reliance on alcohol and recreational drugs becomes progressively worse. In one instance, he passes out and needs to be hospitalized because of his extreme intoxication. He is told to go to Henry's office, presumably for a verbal warning about his behaviour on campus, but he gets one over on Henry by saying he knows about his affair and that he has broken faculty rules by giving Veronica college funds for her sculptures. Soon afterwards, Richard is told he will get his sabbatical.

At a final seminar, Claire observes from her reading that love is a way to try and know another person. Richard likes this and gives his final words (and grades) to his students, he stresses the importance of seizing one's own existence, acknowledging the fact that we are all going to die, and appreciating the (little) time we have left.

At a faculty dinner, Richard is seated at a table at the back of the room, separate from his wife. Richard eloquently berates the dean, tells his wife that for what it’s worth he loves her, and announces to the whole faculty and families that he is dying, which mildly surprises his wife and the other guests.

At home, Olivia comes in crying since her girlfriend has cheated on her with a boy. Richard comforts her and tells her that he is proud of her, then says he is dying. He decides to leave his home and family for his sabbatical. In the final scene, Richard comes across a fork in the road but decides to take neither and creates an alternative, driving on across a field into the night, with his dog by his side.

{{div col}}

• Johnny Depp as Richard Brown
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Veronica Sinclair-Brown
• Odessa Young as Olivia Brown
• Danny Huston as Peter Matthew
• Zoey Deutch as Claire
• Devon Terrell as Danny Albright
• Ron Livingston as Henry Wright
• Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Donna
• Linda Emond as Barbara Matthew
• Matreya Scarrwener as Rose
• Paloma Kwiatkowski as Student
• Kaitlyn Bernard as Taylor
• Michael Kopsa as Richard's Doctor

{{div col end}}

On May 8, 2017, it was announced that Johnny Depp would star in a comedy-drama film Richard Says Goodbye as a college professor in the titular role, to be written and directed by Wayne Roberts following his debut film Katie Says Goodbye, which IM Global would be fully financing.{{cite news|last=Lodderhose|first=Diana|title=Johnny Depp To Star In Wayne Roberts' 'Richard Says Goodbye' For IM Global – Cannes|url=https://deadline.com/2017/05/johnny-depp-wayne-roberts-richard-says-goodbye-im-global-cannes-1202086686/|accessdate=March 19, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 8, 2017|archive-date=March 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315062701/https://deadline.com/2017/05/johnny-depp-wayne-roberts-richard-says-goodbye-im-global-cannes-1202086686/|url-status=live}} Brian Kavanaugh Jones would produce the film through his Automatik Entertainment along with IM Global's Greg Shapiro. On July 20, 2017, Zoey Deutch was cast in the film to play one of the students of the professor.{{cite news|last=Kroll|first=Justin|title=Zoey Deutch to Co-Star With Johnny Depp in 'Richard Says Goodbye' (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/zoey-deutch-johnny-depp-richard-says-goodbye-cast-1202501475/|accessdate=March 19, 2021|work=Variety|date=July 20, 2017|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420022627/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/zoey-deutch-johnny-depp-richard-says-goodbye-cast-1202501475/|url-status=live}} The rest of the main cast was announced on July 25, 2017, which included Danny Huston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Devon Terrell, and Odessa Young.{{cite news|last=Lodderhose|first=Diana|title=Danny Huston, Rosemarie Dewitt & More Join Johnny Depp In 'Richard Says Goodbye'|url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/danny-huston-rosemarie-dewitt-johnny-depp-richard-says-goodbye-im-global-1202135299/|accessdate=March 19, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 25, 2017|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516225337/https://deadline.com/2017/07/danny-huston-rosemarie-dewitt-johnny-depp-richard-says-goodbye-im-global-1202135299/|url-status=live}} It was reported that the film would be co-financed by IM Global and Cirrina Studios, with an additional financing by Leeding Media.

Principal photography on the film began on July 25, 2017 in Vancouver.{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Scott|title=Johnny Depp to film Richard Says Goodbye in Vancouver|url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movies/hollywood-north-johnny-depp-to-film-richard-says-goodbye-in-vancouver|accessdate=March 19, 2021|work=Vancouver Sun|date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628024556/https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/movies/hollywood-north-johnny-depp-to-film-richard-says-goodbye-in-vancouver|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Richard Says Goodbye Starts Filming with Johnny Depp|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/873725-principal-photography-starts-on-richard-says-goodbye-starring-johnny-depp|accessdate=March 19, 2021|work=ComingSoon.net|date=July 25, 2017|archive-date=September 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901005646/http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/873725-principal-photography-starts-on-richard-says-goodbye-starring-johnny-depp|url-status=live}}

It had its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival on October 5, 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/johnny-depps-richard-says-goodbye-gets-world-premiere-at-zurich-festival-1142539|title=Johnny Depp's 'Richard Says Goodbye' to World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Scott|last=Roxborough|date=September 12, 2018|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=September 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912170144/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/johnny-depps-richard-says-goodbye-gets-world-premiere-at-zurich-festival-1142539|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://zff.com/en/archive/20708/|title=Richard Says Goodbye|website=Zurich Film Festival|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=June 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622135026/https://zff.com/en/archive/20708/|url-status=live}} Prior to that, Saban Films and DirecTV Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/09/johnny-depp-richard-says-goodbye-saban-films-directv-toronto-deal-three-million-dollars-1202461805/|title=Saban Films, DirecTV Land Johnny Depp-Starrer 'Richard Says Goodbye' For $3 Million: Toronto|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=September 10, 2018|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=May 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503144454/https://deadline.com/2018/09/johnny-depp-richard-says-goodbye-saban-films-directv-toronto-deal-three-million-dollars-1202461805/|url-status=dead}} It was released on May 17, 2019.{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/movies/johnny-depp-the-professor-trailer/|title=Johnny Depp Plays a Man with Just Six Months to Live in First Trailer for The Professor|magazine=People|first=Alexia|last=Fernandez|date=April 9, 2019|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624210645/https://people.com/movies/johnny-depp-the-professor-trailer/|url-status=live}}

{{Expand section|date=March 2021}}

Guy Lodge, wrote in 2018 a Variety Magazine article mentioning how inappropiate Johnny Depp seemed as a choice for the main character considering he was facing abuse allegations, Lodge also considered that the film had a misogynist tone and mentioned American Beauty as possible inspiration for the film. {{Cite web |last=Lodge |first=Guy |date=2018-10-05 |title=Film Review: Johnny Depp in ‘The Professor’ |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/the-professor-review-richard-says-goodbye-johnny-depp-1202968731/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

Ben Keningsberg wrote in a 2019 New York Times article that the depiction of cancer was "tired (at best)", he claimed that the Film was plagued with worn-out screenwriting devices. He concluded the film can be fun to watch, however it is hardly convincing as a depiction of a dying man.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus reads, "A muddled story populated with thinly written characters and arranged around a misguided Johnny Depp performance, The Professor fails early and often."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_professor_2019|title=The Professor (2018)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-date=2021-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807221252/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_professor_2019|url-status=live}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-professor|title=The Professor|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915115006/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-professor|url-status=live}}

Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2 out of 4,{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-professor-2019|last=Allen|first=Nick|title=The Professor|work=RogerEbert.com|date=May 17, 2019|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226045229/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-professor-2019|url-status=live}} while John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter said that "more an intriguing literary conceit than a credible drama".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/professor-1211316|last=DeFore|first=John|title=The Professor': Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=May 16, 2019|accessdate=March 19, 2021|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821114035/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/professor-1211316|url-status=live}}

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Category:2018 comedy-drama films

Category:2018 films

Category:American comedy-drama films

Category:American LGBTQ-related films

Category:Films about cancer

Category:Films about educators

Category:Films set in universities and colleges

Category:Films shot in Vancouver

Category:IM Global films

Category:Infinitum Nihil films

Category:Saban Films films

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:2010s American films

Category:English-language comedy-drama films

Category:Films scored by Bryce Dessner