.
Patch Adams is a 1998 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams. Directed by Tom Shadyac, it is based on the life story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams and the book Gesundheit: Good Health is a Laughing Matter by Adams and Maureen Mylander. The film is generally considered a box-office success, grossing over twice its budget in the United States alone. However, it was poorly received by most critics.[1]
Plot
In 1969, Hunter Adams (Robin Williams) is a troubled man who voluntarily commits himself into a mental institution. Once there, he finds that helping his fellow inmates gives him a purpose in life and earns the nickname "Patch". Because of this he aspires to become a medical doctor and two years later enrolls at Virginia Medical University, being the oldest first year student. He questions the school's approach to medical care, and clashes with the school's Dean Walcott (Bob Gunton), who believes that doctors must treat patients and not bond with them as people. Because of this and other incidents, including a prank during a medical conference, he is expelled from the school, although he is later reinstated due to his methods actually improving the health of patients. Adams encourages medical students to cultivate relationships with nurses and learn their interviewing skills early, and argues that death should be treated with dignity and even humor.
Adams begins a friendship with fellow student, Carin Fisher (Monica Potter), and develops his idea for a medical clinic built around his philosophy of treating patients through humor and compassion. With the help of Arthur Mendelson (Harold Gould), a wealthy man who was a patient whom Patch met while in the mental hospital, he purchases 105 acres (425,000 m²) in West Virginia to construct the future Gesundheit! Institute. Together with Carin, medical student Truman Schiff (Daniel London), and some old friends, he renovates an old cottage. When they get the clinic running, they treat walk-in patients without medical insurance, and perform comedy sketches for them.
Carin and Patch's friendship soon turns into romance. She reveals to him that she had been molested as a child, distancing herself from men and dreaming of becoming a butterfly to escape her torment, but Patch reassures her that she can overcome her pain to help others. Encouraged, Carin wants to help a disturbed patient, Lawrence "Larry" Silver (Douglas Roberts), by visiting him at home. Larry turns out to be far more disturbed than anybody expected, and murders Carin, turning the shotgun on himself soon after. Patch is devastated and guilt-ridden by Carin's death. He reconsiders his outlook, and questions the goodness of humanity. He contemplates suicide and questions God for what happened. He then turns to see a butterfly which reminds him of Carin and hope, and so decides to continue his work in her honor. However he is dismissed from the school for a second time because he ran a clinic and practiced medicine without a license. He files a grievance with the state medical board at the advice of his former Med school roommate, Mitch Roman (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and must attend a hearing where it is decided whether he can graduate.
Patch is able to convince the board in a final speech that he did his best to help the people that came to him, and as a doctor it is his responsibility to treat the disease of the body as well as a person's spirit regardless of outcome. The jury accepts Patch's medical methods and decides to allow him to graduate. He receives a standing ovation from the packed hearing room. Even at graduation, Patch cannot help but be a non-conformist. After handing Adams a diploma, Walcott approves of Patch's conformity, to which Patch bows to the professors and the audience, revealing his nude bottom under his gown.
Cast
Robin Williams as Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams
Daniel London as Truman
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Mitch
Monica Potter as Carin
Bob Gunton as Dean Walcott
Frances Lee McCain as Judy
Irma P. Hall as Joletta
Josef Sommer as Dr. Eaton
Harold Gould as Arthur Mendelson
Harve Presnell as Dean Anderson
Michael Jeter as Rudy
Barry Shabaka Henley as Emmet
Richard Kiley as Dr. Titan
Ryan Hurst as Neil
Peter Coyote as Bill Davis
Alan Tudyk as Everton
Production notes
The film was shot in three locations: Treasure Island, California (near San Francisco), Asheville (North Carolina) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A diner in Point Richmond, (a district in Richmond, California) served as the University Diner. Several interior classroom scenes were filmed on the campus of UC Berkeley.
The producers worked very closely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For this reason, all but two of the ill children acting in this film actually have cancer.
The film has several major departures from Adam's real history. One is that the character of Carin is fictional, but is analogous to a real life friend of Adams (a man) 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.
Reception
Critical reception
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. It currently has a score of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 55 reviews. The review aggregator Metacritic reported that the film averaged a rating of 25%.[2]
Box office performance
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.[3]
The film grossed US$202,292,902 worldwide — $135,026,902 in the United States and Canada and $67,266,000 in other territories.[4]
Awards
Despite such negative reviews, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score by Marc Shaiman.
The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor (Robin Williams) Golden Globe awards in the Musical or Comedy categories.
Reaction of the real Patch Adams
Adams criticized the film, saying it sacrificed a lot of his message in order to make a movie that would sell. He said that out of all aspects of his life and activism, the film portrayed him merely as a funny doctor.[5] Patch Adams also said of Robin Williams, "He 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."[6] When film critic Roger Ebert asked Adams his feelings about the film, Adams' first words to him were reportedly, "I hate that movie."[7]
References
^ Patch Adams Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
^ Patch Adams - MetaCritic. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
^ "Patch Adams (1998) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
^ "Patch Adams (1998)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
^ http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/patchadams.php
^ Interview with Patch Adams on Repubblica.it
^ http://twitter.com/#!/ebertchicago/status/74603410325909504
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