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Movies / On DVD / Patch Adams
Patch Adams

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Patch Adams (1998)

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Reviews Counted:55

Fresh:13

Rotten:42

Average Rating:4/10

Consensus: Syrupy performances and directing make this dramedy all too obvious.

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Tom Shadyac's (ACE VENTURA) film tells the true story of Hunter "Patch" Adams (Robin Williams), an aspiring doctor in the 1970's who attempted to treat his patients with a medicine that modern... Tom Shadyac's (ACE VENTURA) film tells the true story of Hunter "Patch" Adams (Robin Williams), an aspiring doctor in the 1970's who attempted to treat his patients with a medicine that modern science had totally disregarded: humor. After a stint in a mental hospital where he discovers his need to help others, a young Patch enters medical school. There he develops his own methods of reaching patients as an antidote to the the pomposity he witnesses in his instructors and fellow students. While his patients and fellow staff members appreciate his approach, the powers-that-be frown upon his "unschooled" methods and attempt to prevent him from practicing. Philip Seymour Hoffman (MAGNOLIA) and Monica Potter (ALONG CAME A SPIDER) co-star in this crowd pleaser based on a book by Adams. [More]

Starring: Robin Williams, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton

Starring: Robin Williams, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton, Peter Coyote

Director: Tom Shadyac

Director: Tom Shadyac
Screenwriter: Steve Oedekerk
Producer: Barry Kemp, Mike Farrell, Marvin Minoff, Charles J. Newirth
Composer: Marc Shaiman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Patch Adams

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
03/05/02
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Sight and Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

If I were the real Patch Adams, I'd sue for malpractice!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Fenster
Bob Fenster
Arizona Republic

...infuriating because it divides the world into fun-loving rebels and uptight establishment-types

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
07/31/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Instead of drama, Patch Adams gives us mere iconography, and wastes Williams's iconoclastic dedicated doc.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The story's a bit too formulaic to summon the tears it's going for.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine

If you can suspend disbelief at every odds-defying incident and mind-blowing improbability, the inspirational message may work on you like magic. If not, the film falls flat as a 60-second souffle.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

It extracts tears individually by liposuction, without anesthesia!

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Almost every scene triggers a sense of deja vu!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark Caro
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinemaphile.org | comment Comment
01/01/00
David Keyes
David Keyes
Cinemaphile.org

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
01/01/00
Madeleine Williams
Madeleine Williams
Cinematter
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Paul Tatara
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Involving and emotionally fulfilling, if quite a bit over-sentimental.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

A sure-fire crowd-pleaser!

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News

It suffers from excessive heart- warming itis!

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steven Rosen
Steven Rosen
Denver Post
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for Patch Adams

December 18, 2006: Oedekerk Hired to Rehaul Tim Burton's "Ripley," Believe It or Not
When Paramount shelved Tim Burton's "Ripley's Believe It or Not" a few months back, some people thought the project was dead in the water. Well hey, apparently not. More...

October 12, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: "Grudge" Reborn at Box Office
With the pumpkin holiday approaching, Sony unleashes the terror with its frightfest "The Grudge 2" which aims to dominate the marketplace this weekend. More...

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