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Movies / On DVD / John Q
John Q

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John Q (2002)

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Reviews Counted:7

Fresh:1

Rotten:6

Average Rating:3.8/10

Consensus: Washington's performance rises above the material, but John Q pounds the audience over the head with its message.

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington) is struggling through a recession trying to provide for his son Mikey (Daniel E. Smith) and his waitress wife (Kimberly Elise). Mikey collapses at a Little... John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington) is struggling through a recession trying to provide for his son Mikey (Daniel E. Smith) and his waitress wife (Kimberly Elise). Mikey collapses at a Little League game and is rushed to a hospital. The situation is bleak. Only a heart transplant will save Mikey's life. John's HMO refuses to cover the expensive surgery. With the hospital and his insurance provider unwilling to help and his wife pleading with John to act, he takes matters into his own hands, holding the hospital's renowned heart surgeon (James Woods) and several others hostage in an emergency care wing until the surgery will be performed. Nick Cassavetes directed this attack on the American health care system. Like his previous feature, SHE'S SO LOVELY, Cassavetes proves adept at mining the political ramifications out of human drama. The film criticizes hospitals and health care providers for working in collusion against the working class. This moving drama is propelled by the intense lead performance by Washington as one man against an unjust system. [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Anne Heche, James Woods

Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Anne Heche, James Woods, Ray Liotta, Kimberly Elise, Daniel E. Smith, Shawn Hatosy, Eddie Griffin, Kevin Connolly, Troy Winbush

Director: Nick Cassavetes

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Screenwriter: James Kearns
Producer: Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for John Q

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1 - 8 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
05/13/02
Guardian [UK]
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Doesn't so much need a heart as a brain transplant.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/22/02
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
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It is so earnest, so overwrought and so wildly implausible that it begs to be parodied.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
02/15/02
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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So ham-fisted that it sabotages its own worthwhile arguments.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
02/14/02
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
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At every turn it has the courage of its material.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/02
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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Director Nick Cassavetes and screenwriter James Kearns make Washington look silly for the first time in his career.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
02/14/02
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
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Imagine the worst episode of Chicago Hope never aired, and it still won't even begin to describe the agonizing ordeal that is John Q.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/08/02
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
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1 - 8 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for John Q

November 27, 2008: Wellsphere.com: The Denzel Washington John Q Interview Opens in new window
More...

March 23, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Inside Man" is Certified Fresh, Second Best-Reviewed Wide Release Of
Tension: it's the key to many a film, and this week's wide releases bring three variants on that theme. We've got a hostage situation ("Inside Man"), class conflict... More...

February 22, 2006: Cassavetes Working on Fact-Based "Bomb"
Filmmaker Nick Cassavetes will soon get to work on "Bombing Harvey," a fact-based tale of a Hungarian scientist who tried to plant a bomb in a Lake Tahoe casino in an... More...

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