Patch Adams (film)
Patch Adams is a 1998 American semi-biographical comedy-drama film directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Robin Williams, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton, Daniel London, and Peter Coyote. Directed by Tom Shadyac and set in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, it is based on the life story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams and the book Gesundheit: Good Health Is a Laughing Matter by Dr. Adams and Maureen Mylander. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calls it "too obvious," and it received "generally unfavorable reviews" on Metacritic. It grossed $202.3 million on a $90 million budget.
Plot
Hunter "Patch" Adams is suicidal and admits himself to a mental institution. Once there, he finds that using humor, rather than doctor-centered psychotherapy, better helps his fellow patients and provides him with a new purpose in life. Because of this, he wants to become a medical doctor, and two years later enrolls at the Medical College of Virginia as the oldest first year student. He questions the school's soulless approach to medical care, particularly why students don't work with patients until their third year, as well as the methods of the school's Dean Walcott, who takes an instant dislike to Patch and believes that doctors must treat patients his way and not befriend them. Because of this and incidents such as setting up a giant model paper-mache pair of legs in stirrups during an obstetric conference, he is expelled from the medical school, although he is later reinstated when it becomes apparent to the school that his unconventional methods often improve his patients' health. Adams encourages medical students to work closely with nurses, learn interviewing skills early, and argues that death should be treated with dignity and sometimes even humor.Patch begins a friendship with fellow student Carin Fisher and, during their third year as medical students develops his idea for a medical clinic built around his philosophy of treating patients using humor and compassion. With the help of Arthur Mendelson, a wealthy man who was a patient whom Patch met while in the mental hospital, he purchases 105 acres in West Virginia to construct the future Gesundheit! Institute. Together with Carin, medical student Truman Schiff, and some old friends, he renovates an old cottage into a clinic. When they get the clinic running, they treat patients without medical insurance and perform comedy sketches for them.
Patch's friendship with Carin soon turns into romance. When she tells him that she had been molested as a child, Patch comforts her and reassures her that she can overcome her pain by helping others. Encouraged, Carin wants to help a disturbed patient, Lawrence "Larry" Silver. However, Larry murders Carin, then commits suicide. Patch is guilt-ridden by Carin's death and begins to question the goodness in humanity. Standing on a cliff, he contemplates suicide again and asks God for an explanation. He then sees a butterfly that reminds him that Carin had always wished she was a caterpillar that could turn into a butterfly and fly away. The butterfly lands on his medical bag and shirt before flying away. With his spirits revived, Patch decides to dedicate his work to her memory.
Walcott eventually discovers that Patch has been running a clinic and practicing medicine without a license and attempts to expel him again because of this, as well as complaints that he has made his patients uncomfortable. Desperate to prove Walcott wrong, Patch files a grievance with the state medical board on the advice of his former medical school roommate, conservative Mitch Roman. Patch succeeds in convincing the board that he must treat the spirit as well as the body. The board, although they still find some of his methods questionable, allows him to graduate and he receives a standing ovation from the packed hearing room.
At graduation, Patch receives his diploma and, bowing to the professors and audience, reveals his naked bottom.
Cast
- Robin Williams as Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, initially a mental patient, who wishes to change the way doctors think and treat their patients.
- Daniel London as Truman Schiff, Patch's best friend and most loyal follower, in medical school.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Mitch Roman, Patch's uptight roommate, who initially clashes with Patch, but later joins his cause.
- Bob Gunton as Dean Walcott, rigid dean of the Medical School, who locks horns with Patch right from the start.
- Monica Potter as Carin Fisher, a serious medical student, who is later touched by Patch's passion.
- Frances Lee McCain as Judy, a nurse at the hospital
- Irma P. Hall as Joletta, a nurse at the hospital
- Josef Sommer as Dr. Eaton, professor at the Medical School, who does appreciate Patch's efforts.
- Harold Gould as Arthur Mendelson, wealthy mathematician who is in the mental hospital, and initially coins Patch's nickname.
- Harve Presnell as Dean Anderson, head of the Medical School; more tolerant of Patch than is Walcott.
- Michael Jeter as Rudy, Patch's roommate at the mental hospital, who is sciurophobic.
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Emmet
- Harry Groener as Dr. Prack, a humorless doctor at the mental hospital who is a colleague of Dean Walcott.
- Richard Kiley as Dr. Titan, chair of the State Medical Board
- Ryan Hurst as Neil
- Ellen Albertini Dow as Aggie Kennedy, a sickly old lady in the hospital, who's childhood dream is to swim in a pool of noodles.
- Peter Coyote as Bill Davis, a dying, ill-tempered patient in the hospital, who eventually bonds with Patch, and accepts his fate with dignity.
- Alan Tudyk as Everton
- Dot Jones as Miss Meat
- Douglas Roberts as Lawrence "Larry" Silver, a mentally disturbed patient, whom Carin tries to help, but he later murders her before taking his own life.
- Norman Alden as Truck Driver
- James Greene as Bile
- Greg Sestero as Jaime
- Ralph Peduto as Organizer
Production
Development
was brought in as a script doctor to work on the film prior to shooting.The film was shot in three locations: Treasure Island, California, Asheville, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A diner was temporarily placed in Point Richmond and served as the University Diner. Several interior classroom scenes were filmed on the campus of UC Berkeley.
The film has several major departures from Adams' real history. One is that the character of Carin is fictional but is analogous to a real life friend of Adams who was murdered under similar circumstances. Another difference is the then 47-year-old Robin Williams portrays Adams as enrolling in medical school very late in his life, his older age even being brought up in dialogue. In reality, Adams started medical school immediately and his educational progress was quite normal for a physician: He graduated high school at 18, college at 22, and medical school at 26.
Box office
The film was released on December 25, 1998, in the United States and Canada and grossed $25.2 million in 2,712 theaters its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. After its first weekend, it was the #2 film for four weeks. The film grossed US$202.3 million worldwide — $135 million in the United States and Canada and $67.3 million in other territories.Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval score of 22% based on 68 reviews and an average rating of 4.01/10. The critical consensus reads, "Syrupy performances and directing make this dramedy all too obvious." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 25 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".Noted Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars out of four and wrote, "'Patch Adams' made me want to spray the screen with Lysol. This movie is shameless. It's not merely a tearjerker. It extracts tears individually by liposuction, without anesthesia." Robert K. Elder of the Chicago Tribune called Monica Potter "the best thing about the otherwise dopey Patch Adams."
It received "Two Thumbs Down" on the television series Siskel & Ebert, with particular criticism towards the character of Patch, whom they viewed as "overbearing", "obnoxious" and "sanctimonious" as well as noting that they would never trust a doctor who acted like Adams does. Gene Siskel said 'I would rather turn my head and cough than see another moment of Patch Adams again'. He later singled it out as the worst film of 1998; it was the last film he gave a "Worst of" to before his death in 1999.
Awards
's score was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. The film was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.Patch Adams' reaction
The real Patch Adams has been openly critical of the film, saying that it sacrificed much of his message to make a selling film. He also said that out of all aspects of his life and activism, the film portrayed him merely as a funny doctor. At a Conference on World Affairs, he told film critic Roger Ebert, "I hate that movie."During a speech in 2010 at the Mayo Clinic, Patch Adams said, "The film promised to build our hospital. None of the profits from the film ever came to us, and so, basically 40 years into this work, we are still trying to build our hospital."
Furthermore, Adams stated,
made $21 million for four months of pretending to be me, in a very simplistic version, and did not give $10 to my free hospital. Patch Adams, the person, would have, if I had Robin's money, given all $21 million to a free hospital in a country where 80 million cannot get care."
However, in another interview, Adams did clarify that he did not hate Williams, and Williams actively supported St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for several years.
After Williams' death in 2014, Adams said "I'm enormously grateful for his wonderful performance of my early life, which has allowed the Gesundheit Institute to continue and expand our work."