Patch Adams (1998)

Director:

Tom Shadyac

Writers (WGA):

Patch Adams (book) and
Maureen Mylander (book) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Based On A True Story.

Plot:

A medical student in the 70's that treated patients, illegally, using humor.

Plot Keywords:

Für Elise | What Happened To Epilogue | Doctor Patient Relationship | Medical School | Mental Institution

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Hunter 'Patch' Adams
Daniel London	...	Truman Schiff
Monica Potter	...	Corinne Fisher
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Mitch Roman
Bob Gunton	...	Dean Walcott
Josef Sommer	...	Dr. Eaton
Irma P. Hall	...	Joletta
Frances Lee McCain	...	Judy
Harve Presnell	...	Dean J.P. Anderson
Daniella Kuhn	...	Adelane
Peter Coyote	...	Bill Davis
James Greene	...	Bile
Michael Jeter	...	Rudy
Harold Gould	...	Arthur Mendelson
Bruce Bohne	...	Trevor Beene

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and crude humor.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Philippines:G | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Blue Wolf

Trivia:

During filming, Robin Williams and the rest of the cast and crew worked closely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the fantasies of several children who were at the time undergoing cancer treatment. The children appeared with Williams in scenes at the pediatric ward.

Goofs:

Continuity: Position of Patch's hands and fingers in the first "How many fingers do you see?" scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hunter Patch Adams: All of life is a coming home. Salesmen, secretaries, coal miners, beekeepers, sword swallowers, all of us. All the restless hearts of the world, all trying to find a way home. It's hard to describe what I felt like then. Picture yourself walking for days in the driving snow; you don't even know you're walking in circles. The heaviness of your legs in the drifts, your shouts disappearing into the wind. How small you can feel, and how far away home can be.
Hunter Patch Adams: Home. The dictionary defines it as both a place of origin and a goal or destination. And the storm? The storm was all in my mind. Or as the poet Dante put it: In the middle of the journey of my life, I found myself in a dark wood, for I had lost the right path. Eventually I would find the right path, but in the most unlikely place.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Bell Bottom Blues

Remember When Robin Williams Made Good Movies?

Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and the Fisher King is the triumverate of great Robin Williams movies. What the hell happened to those days?

Patch Adams is the worse movie of 1998. Even worse than the Avengers. The first act was decent; the movie seemed full of potential. Then the second act hit.

Philip Seymour Hoffman played the two-dimensional roommate bent on foiling Patch's plans of becoming a doctor. Then there was the two-dimensional dean bent on foiling Patch's plans of becoming a doctor. Sense a pattern here?

I particularly remember the scene where Patch was in charge of a gynecologists convention and he put the entrance between two giant paper-mache ladies legs. In the movie, they were not amused. Apparently gynecologists take their job VERY seriously that they have no sense of humor. Have you ever met one? They're not quite that stoic.

Then, of course, tragedy befalls our spastic hero and he must reflect. Does he want to quit medical school? What the hell do you think?! It's been done a thousand times before!

Then comes the closing scenes. I have a theory about non-courtroom movies that end with trials. With a few exceptions (i.e. Scent of a Woman), ending a film with a trial shows that the writer can't think of a suitable ending. This is definitely the case. I'm sure someone would be expelled from medical school for having a sense of humor. Please.

Robin Williams should stick to drama or comedy. He shouldn't mix the two; he just can't pull it off.