Trust Me, I'm A Doctor Has Strong Touches But A Real Focus Problem [Review]

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor benefits from good performances and solid scenes, but the film's tonal mishmash can't deliver a consistently engaging film.

Published Oct 9, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Brandon Zachary is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant's New Movie Team. He also writes or has written for Comicbook.com, CBR, That Hashtag Show, Just Watch, and TVBrittanyF. Brandon is an Emerging Screenwriters Semi-Finalist, co-writer of a Screencraft Quarter-Finalist, a seasoned on-screen interviewer, and a MASSIVE nerd. You can reach him at bs.zachary@gmail.com

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor is the latest example of celebrity culture becoming fodder for cinematic adaptation, although this one goes beyond the lurid to tell a more human story. Dealing with the fallout of Anna Nicole Smith's high-profile death and the subsequent trial surrounding it, the movie is best when it keeps the focus on the story of its central subject, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor (Kal Penn).

Written and directed by Thane Economou, Trust Me, I'm a Doctor finds itself caught between a prickly recounting and a more emotional arc. The cast came to play and do well in both circumstances, elevating solid scenes into something more. However, that tonal mishmash ends up being the central flaw with the film, preventing the movie from ever reaching its potential.

Trust Me, I'm A Doctor Has A Tone Problem

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor is based on Dr. Kapoor's memoirs, detailing his experiences with Anna Nicole Smith (Abbie Cornish) and how he became wrapped up in the controversy surrounding her death. The movie initially tells its story out of order, with Sandeep recounting his patient/doctor relationship with Anna Nicole to Linda Hamilton's no-nonsense lawyer.

Unafraid to break the fourth wall to simplify a story or tell a joke, the film spends its first half presenting itself as something of a bleak comedy in the vein of Vice. It tells an emotionally complicated (and painfully American) story about a physician whose kindness and panic fuel his best and worst decisions.

Kal Penn's version of Sandeep, a man who presents himself in subtly different ways to everyone around him, is a tricky beat. It's a clever bit of acting, especially once the character admits that he does this mainly to avoid conflict above all else. It's not portrayed as vicious, but desperate; a human failing from someone who genuinely wants to be a good guy (even though the film also occasionally portrays him as snarky and self-serving).

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor's biggest fault is that it tries to be too much. The overarching framing device takes cues from movies like The Big Short, having characters directly address the camera to explain themselves or break down an allusion. It's an approach that usually has some decent, jokey material, but bristles against the drier courtroom segments, character drama, and the somber biopic elements.

That tonal clash makes the film harder to connect to on a purely emotional level. The intention is to elicit emotion while being a satirical wrecking ball, but it doesn't have the confidence or consistency to make that work. While the individual parts are effective in a vacuum (aside from the largely dry trial sequences), the movie doesn't ever feel like a true whole.

Trust Me, I'm A Doctor Has Solid Scenes That Don't Come Together

It's a shame, because the film actually has some genuinely strong elements when it allows itself to be vulnerable. This becomes more prominent in the third act, with little, emotional moments underscoring the humanity of everyone involved. Penn does good work as Sandeep Kapoor, especially in scenes delving into his personal guilt instead of his comedic stammering.

Abbie Cornish's version of Anna Nicole Smith feels like a broad character at times, but purposefully so, underscoring the few somber moments afforded to the performance. Characters like Sandeep's parents and defense attorney Ellyn Garofalo are slightly one-note, but gain a good deal of personality from talented actors Dhirendra, Ronica Sajnani, and Linda Hamilton.

The script has some funny beats and dry moments, but it's most effective when delving into the people caught up in the scandal, something it doesn't do nearly enough. Anna Nicole and her son, Daniel Wayne Smith (Jordan Kronis), are both key emotional components of the story, even if it's rooted in Sandeep's narrative. However, it treats them almost as motivations rather than characters in their own right.

All of that gets undercut by a quick, Adam McKay-style aside or an intended tearjerker scene...

Daniel, in particular, is someone the film finds a raw and effective emotional purpose for, his tragic story serving as the impetus for Sandeep's most emotional soul-searching. However, those scenes are few and far between, with little actual focus paid to the subplot before the payoff occurs.

There are some interesting themes throughout, especially in moments when it feels like the film (based on Sandeep's book about the trial) is actually allowing itself to examine its subject matter. Trust Me, I'm a Doctor is at its best when Sandeep reveals himself as someone who may be innocent of a crime, but is nevertheless wracked with his own guilt.

All of that gets undercut by a quick, Adam McKay-style aside or an intended tearjerker scene between Sandeep and a patient. Economou's screenplay and direction similarly fluctuate between clever and dull. Trust Me, I'm a Doctor's good parts never quite come together to make a truly satisfying whole.

A version of the film that found a better balance between the prickly Hollywood story and the tragic humanity of the narrative could have landed more effectively. While there are things to like about the film, and particular scenes (like Sandeep's revealing conversations with his father) that really stand out, it isn't enough to reach its full potential.

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor releases in theaters on Friday, October 16.

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

5/10

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  Dr. Sandeep Kapoor

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  Anna Nicole Smith