Patch Adams (1998)
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A man who finds purpose through humor in a mental institution seeks to revolutionize medical care by treating the spirit as well as the body.
The story
In 1969, Hunter "Patch" Adams, after developing suicidal thoughts, admits himself to a mental institution. There, he finds that using humor, rather than doctor-centered psychotherapy, better helps his fellow patients and provides him with a new purpose. Because of this, he wants to become a medical doctor and leaves the facility. Two years later, he enrolls at the Medical College of Virginia as its oldest first-year student. Adams questions the school's soulless approach to medical care, particularly why students do not work with patients until their third year, as well as the methods of the school's dean, Walcott, who takes an instant dislike to him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being expelled and then reinstated at the Medical College of Virginia due to his unconventional methods, Patch Adams begins a friendship with student Carin Fisher. He develops a vision for a clinic based on humor and compassion, and with the help of a wealthy former patient, he establishes the Gesundheit! Institute in West Virginia. While his relationship with Fisher turns into a romance, a tragedy occurs when a patient she is trying to help kills her. Devastated, Adams faces a crisis of faith but eventually rededicates himself to her memory. Despite the dean's attempts to shut him down for practicing without a license, Adams successfully fights for his right to treat the spirit as well as the body. He eventually graduates, celebrating his success by revealing himself to be naked under his cap and gown.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Shadyac
- Writers
- Steve Oedekerk · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robin Williams · Patch Adams; Monica Potter; Philip Seymour Hoffman; Bob Gunton; Daniel London; Peter Coyote
- Genres
- comedy-drama; biographical drama
- Themes
- compassion; humor in medicine; medical ethics
- Tone and mood
- sentimental; inspirational
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; medical; comedy-drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- based on the life story of medical doctor Hunter "Patch" Adams and the book Gesundheit: Good Health Is a Laughing Matter by Adams and Maureen Mylander.
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, specifically for its sentimentality and direction, but it was a box-office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 21% · scale: percentage · review count: 71; Metacritic · score: 26 · scale: 100 · review count: 21; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Musical or Comedy Score · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Robin Williams) · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was a box-office success, grossing $202.3 million against a $50–90 million budget.; The real Patch Adams has been openly critical of the film, stating it portrayed him merely as a funny doctor.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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