Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Patch Adams (1998) - Rousing Williams performance steers Shadyac's sentimental biopic

9/30/2023

Patch Adams (1998) - Rousing Williams performance steers Shadyac's sentimental biopic

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A child puts a clown nose on star Robin Williams' warm, endeared face on this bright poster for Tom Shadyac's Patch Adams

Following a suicidal personal crisis in a mental hospital Hunter Adams learns which direction his life should take: As a doctor he wants to make the ill laugh and meet them as fellow human beings. But this brings him on a collision course with the norms in his profession.

Patch Adams is written by Steve Oederkerk (Bruce Almighty (2003)), based on the book Gesundheit! (1998) by the real-life Patch Adams and Maureen Mylander, and directed by Virginian master filmmaker Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)), whose 4th feature it is.

Robin Williams (Bicentennial Man (1999)) carries this film, and he makes 'Patch' a moving acquaintance. Patch Adams is more dramatic than most Shadyac films: Monica Potter (Boston Legal (2004-05)) gives a good supporting performance as Patch's girlfriend, and what happens to her in the film is heavy. You'll need a hard heart not to feel the laughter and well-being spread in many scenes. Bob Gunton (Royal Pains (2010-16)) is fine as a doctor antagonist, and Michael Jeter (Jurassic Park III (2001)) and others are good in small parts.

Patch Adams is excessively sentimental but lovely all the same. A couple of Patch's gags in the film are made in an exaggerated version, (one involves enormous women's legs made of papier-mâché at the medical school; another an entire pool filled with spaghetti), and the exaggeration for emphasis is a bit ridiculous. Patch Adams is all about Williams, whose face here expresses that special wealth of emotion that made him so unique and beloved.

Tom Shadyac: The 2000s in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Evan Almighty (2007) - Shadyac's monumentally miscalculated sequel/professional gravestone (hope not)

Bruce Almighty (2003) - Carrey makes laughter in well-made what-if-you-were-God-comedy

1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Top 10: Best comedies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) - 6th gear Jim Carrey smacker

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 50-90 mil. $ (different accounts)

Box office: 202.2 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.88 times its cost)

[Patch Adams premiered 21 October (USA) and runs 115 minutes. Williams was reportedly paid 21 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from February - June 1998 in North Carolina and California. The film opened #1 to a 25.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend at #1 and then another 5 in the top 5 (#2-#2-#2-#2-#3), grossing 135 mil. $ (66.8 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for the Best Score - Comedy/Musical Oscar (Marc Shaiman (Bros (2022))), lost to Stephen Warbeck for Shakespeare in Love. It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. Shadyac returned with Dragonfly (2002). Williams returned in One Saturday Morning (1998, TV-series), L.A. Doctors (1999, TV-series) and theatrically in Jakob the Liar (1999). Patch Adams is rotten at 21 % with a 4.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Patch Adams?

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (15-24)