Meet the doctor who helped inspire a controversial Netflix movie about anorexia
At age 78, Dr. Richard MacKenzie is having his Hollywood moment.
He’s the physician who helped inspire a controversial Netflix movie about anorexia, “To the Bone,” which begins streaming on Friday. The film was written and directed by one of his former patients, Marti Noxon. She has credited MacKenzie with helping her overcome her struggles with anorexia and bulimia.
But “To the Bone” is hardly a faithful portrait of his work. Over a long but under-the-radar career at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, MacKenzie focused on keeping patients in their homes, rather than admitting them to an inpatient treatment center. He was known for working with his patients, with warmth and sensitivity, to help them identify the issues behind their eating disorders.
His character in “To The Bone,” by contrast, is brusque and edgy — and runs a group home to treat patients with anorexia.
MacKenzie never worked in such and has watched their the number a decade ago, according to a count published last year. But their treatments are rarely fully covered by insurance and they often offer services, like equine therapy, that aren’t based in evidence.
