Robert Altman has long been one of our very best directors. And no one can orchestrate an ensemble quite like the helmsman of The Player and Short Cuts. Once again, this is completely apparent in his new film Dr. T and the Women.

In this bittersweet film, Richard Gere plays a much popular gynecologist who seems to have an amazing effect on women. They just adore him. Unfortunately, his home life suffers a blow when his wife (beautifully played by Farrah Fawcett) becomes ill. He's also having a heck of time getting ready for his oldest daughter's (Kate Hudson) wedding. Feeling lonely and rather overwhelmed by his patients and life outside of work, our sweet-natured yet flawed hero develops a crush on a golfer played by Helen Hunt.

As is expected from Altman, there is a lot going on in this film, but true to his track-record, Altman is able to string together characters and storylines with effortless grace. Gere gives one of his best performances, and the rest of the cast shine around him. Including; Shelley Long, Robert Hays, Laura Dern, Tara Reid, Janine Turner, Andy Richter, Liv Tyler, and Lee Grant.

Altman and his screenwriter Anne Rapp have a sly wit about them. As the story reaches its climax, something happens that is so ludicrous that it shouldn't work. It does work, however, in a strange sort of cosmic way. It's similar to something that Paul Thomas Anderson failed miserably with in the over-hyped Magnolia, a film that borrows shamelessly from the pictures of Altman.

Dr. T and the Women certainly isn't perfect. It's rather sluggish at the midpoint, and it does have moments that fall out of the groove, but there was enough in it for me to recommend. It should also be noted that this is more than a romantic comedy. It's also has a lot to say about the dynamics of loneliness and misplaced longing. In the end, Dr. T and the Women is a story about a man who thinks he has the opposite sex all figured out, when in fact, he has a lot to learn.

I wouldn't put this at the top of Altman's resume. It doesn't rank up there with his best, but I liked it much more than the disappointing Ready to Wear.