i didn't read mitch albom's book , tuesdays with morrie , which spent about two jillion years on the bestseller lists . but based on the movie , i can see why so many people bought the book and why it's ripe for criticism . as brandeis university professor morrie schwartz's body deteriorated from lou gehrig's disease , former student albom decided to record the man's thoughts on an array of topics . if the movie is anything like the book , then morrie sounds like the world's foremost pop psychologist . and that's part of the problem i had watching the adaptation . albom claims that morrie was " a force " in the classroom , but he gets stuck saying things like " once you learn how to die , you learn how to live . " albom is certainly a happier person for having talked to his teacher , but i get the feeling he could have rented old yeller or watched a few self-help infomercials and came out ok . sarcastic comments aside , i can't fault a made-for-tv movie that has sturdy , sensitive performances and good intentions . if i can be taught about the values of life and not want to smack any of the characters upside the head , then the movie can't be all that bad . hank azaria ( the birdcage ) plays albom , a work-obsessed detroit sportswriter who is constantly on the go . his world stops when he sees a news special profiling morrie's condition . some 15 years after promising to keep in touch and not doing so , albom decides to visit his professor . pretty soon , they regularly meet on tuesdays--morrie's old office hours . jack lemmon plays morrie , a man whose indomitable spirit is still whole regardless of the medical obstacles he faces . it's a role that could have been played like a geriatric patch adams , but lemmon ( one of the best actors of his generation ) handles the role with grace . azaria , always an undervalued actor , does a good job and even sounds a bit like albom , a regular on espn . azaria has always had a slightly cynical streak to him that makes him more human . that trait serves him especially well in this occasionally sudsy , but overall entertaining fare . 
