Absolute Strangers

Did You Know?

• Henry Winkler's role as Martin Klein marked his first major TV role in eight years.
• The title 'Absolute Strangers' comes from a real-life court decision, itself apparently derived from a courtroom outburst by Klein.

Plot

Following a car accident, Marty Klein is advised that only an abortion can save the life of his comatose and pregnant wife, Nancy. Other doctors note that the wife is in no immediate danger, but Marty realizes those doctors are acting on anti-abortion views and want to reach the limit of the second trimester when abortion is disallowed. The husband reluctantly agrees to an abortion because his wife will be at high risk of death if she delivers a baby while comatose.

However, the procedure is blocked by activists opposed to abortion. Marty faces the hospital's ethics board to find a doctor willing to perform the procedure. He must then undergo the legal process to declare his wife incompetent to make her own decisions, and to appoint himself as her guardian. Anti-abortion activists challenge him each step of the way.

Eventually a court case allows the abortion to proceed. Anti-abortion activists appeal the case to higher courts, and eventually to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Along the way, the news media get involved, and the story gains national prominence. The anti-abortion activists seek guardianship of the fetus; Marty denounces them in court as "absolute strangers" trying to take control of his life and his wife's life.

With all appeals exhausted, the abortion procedure is begun. Nancy later emerges from the coma and recuperates to a normal life.

Critical reception

In The Baltimore Sun, Michael Hill said the film handled the controversial topic of abortion with "involving style and grace". In The Buffalo News, Alan Pergament wrote, "In his first acting role in years, Winkler gives a very understated performance. He does a good job in the few scenes that detail Marty's outrage against the strangers. The subject matter is the star of the film, not the performances...Tastefully filmed, thought-provoking, emotionally involving and willing to take a stand, 'Absolute Strangers' is a rarity in network television."

Others were more critical, with Ray Loynd of the Los Angeles Times calling it a "predictable advocacy drama" with a "lack of strong characterization". In Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker criticized the script's writing of Marty's character as too much of a blank slate, saying "To have an interesting movie, Cates needed a protagonist who was willing to commit himself to his beliefs. Instead, he ended up with a movie in which everyone is either a victim or a villain."