Patch Adams
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| Director(s) | Tom Shadyac |
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| Distributor | Universal Studios |
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| Patch Adams raises two schools of thought: There are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others—a man set on changing the world and who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics. Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname “Patch,” but learns the joy in helping others. To this end,… | |
Honors
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Amazon.com
Patch Adams raises two schools of thought: There are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others—a man set on changing the world and who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics.
Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname “Patch,” but learns the joy in helping others. To this end, he decides to go to medical school, where he clashes with the staid conventions of the establishment as he attempts to inject humor and humanity into his treatment of the patients (“We need to start treating the patient as well as the disease,” he declares throughout the film). Robin Williams, in the title role, is as charming as ever, although someone should tell him to broaden his range—the ever-cheerful do-gooder à la Good Will Hunting and Dead Poets Society is getting a little old. His sidekick Truman (Daniel London) steals the show with his gawky allure and eyebrows that threaten to overtake his lean face—he seems more real, which is odd considering that Patch Adams does exist and this film is based on his life. Monica Potter is the coolly reluctant love interest, and she makes the most of her one-dimensional part. While moments of true heartfelt emotion do come through, the major flaw of this film is that the good guys are just so gosh-darn good and the bad ones are just big meanies with no character development. Patch Adams, though, does provide the tears, the giggles, and the kooky folks who will keep you smiling at the end. —Jenny Brown
Barnes and Noble
While Robin Williams has demonstrated an almost preternatural ability to sublimate his well-established comic persona when essaying dramatic roles, the thoroughly enjoyable Patch Adams is one of those rare movies that allows him to play a memorable character who’s alternately silly and solemn. He’s perfectly cast as real-life doctor Hunter “Patch” Adams, the sawbones with a smile. Patch believes heartily in the healing power of humor, which he dispenses regularly to patients over the objections of a staid, established medical establishment (personified by one of Patch’s dour instructors, played by prolific, talented character actor Daniel London). Monica Potter registers strongly as a skeptical fellow student eventually won over by Patch’s unusual approach to medicine. Director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) rates high marks for deftly combining slower, dramatically potent scenes with those relying on fast-paced improvisational comedy. Frequently sidesplitting, but also profoundly moving in spots, Patch Adams provides a dazzling showcase for one of the screen’s most popular and innovative stars. The two-disc “Ultimate Edition” provides the feature in both wide-screen and full-frame configurations, along with commentary by Shadyac, deleted scenes, outtakes, a photo gallery, storyboard-to-scene comparisons, a making-of featurette, production notes, cast-crew biographies, behind-the-scenes footage, and a documentary, “The Medicinal Value of Laughter.” Ed Hulse
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Meet Patch Adams, M.D., a social revolutionary who has devoted his career to giving away health care. Adams is the founder of the Gesundheit Institute, a home-based medical practice that has treated more than 15,000 people for free, and that is now building a full-scale hospital that will be open to anyone in the world free of charge. Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? Not for those who know and work with Patch. Whether it means putting on a red clown nose for sick children or taking a disturbed patient outside to roll down a hill with him, Adams does whatever is…
