Jack Has a Plan (2022)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

You Now Know Jack

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

In 1994, a man named Jack Tuller was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given six months to live. In 2016, still very much alive, he asked his friend, filmmaker Bradley Berman, to tell his story. That story turned into the extraordinary documentary Jack Has a Plan, about choosing the end of one's life, and dying with dignity. Far from a downer, it is indeed a film about death, but it's as joyous, thrilling, and funny as any film about death could be. Unlike many other documentaries, Jack Has a Plan has a loose, organic feel, like it's being made up as it goes along, rather than hammering home its point. Indeed some of Jack's adventures involve weird strokes of good luck, such as finding Torrie Fields, who runs a serious illness management services company, living two doors down from him. And Jack's attempts to reconcile with his estranged mother and track down his birth father result in totally natural moments of both heartbreak and triumph, without ever feeling forced. By the time it's over, we feel we really have gotten to know this amazing person, and even though he's gone now, the experience is a pure pleasure.