Breast Men

Plot

Dr. Kevin Saunders and Dr. William Larson pioneer the usage of silicone breast implants. Saunders comes up with the idea of the breast implant; Larson tries to dissuade him, but eventually comes around. They gain immense financial success as cosmetic breast augmentation surgeries rise in acceptance and frequency in American culture. Dr. Saunders becomes a narcissist interested in developing and implanting exaggeratedly larger-sized implants popular with a mostly exotic dancer and female porn-star clientele, often having sex and doing drugs with them.

Dr. Larson, Saunders's former mentor and business partner, continues to pursue a more serious, clinical approach, such as reconstructive breast surgeries for female breast cancer survivors. Complications arise with the implants and the doctors are sued, leading to their fall from grace. Larson dies in his home of a heart attack. Saunders dies when his car crashes into a truck as his attention wanders when he looks at a woman's breasts.

Historical accuracy

The film very loosely tracks the history of the real-life breast implant phenomenon, from its radical introduction through its widespread popularity. The movie continues to the Food and Drug Administration's determination that silicone implants cause various illnesses and cancers, spawning federal regulations that forced the industry to switch to saline implants. The story is interspersed with interview snippets of women from the 1970s who underwent breast augmentations with varying degrees of success, including their likes and dislikes about them.

The interviews are marked by the fact that they show only the interviewees' nude breasts and torso. In reality, silicone implants were developed by Texas-based plastic surgeons Drs. Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin.

Did You Know?

• Much of the filming was done in Galveston, Texas, including interior and exterior shots of historic Star Drug, which burned in 1998 but has since been rebuilt.
• The cast includes David Schwimmer as Dr. Kevin Saunders and Chris Cooper as Dr. William Larson.
• Lyle Lovett appears in the cast as a Research Scientist.