Patch Adams (Wide Screen) > Reviews > A film that tugs at the heartstrings.

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	You won't know whether to laugh or cry
Disadvantages:	You might run out of kleenex

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Academy award winner; Robin Williams is Patch Adams. An inspirational doctor who is a bit out of the ordinary, who believes that the best medicine is laughter and that doctor's should look past the disease at the patient.

The film is a heart-warming comedy based on a true story and I can guarantee you will go through a series of emotions; you’ll be laughing crying and most of all smiling!

Hunter Adams is a doctor with a difference, he himself has spent time in a Mental Institute after contemplating suicide and it is there that he finds his new calling; to help people. He realises that it is not just doctors that can help patients but that patients can help each other too, because a doctor is someone that is there for patients.
Using his unconventional methods and different ideas to enhance the patients healing Patch Adams introduces the idea to the medical profession that they should treat the patients not the disease. He knows that in hospital people suffer from loneliness, boredom and most of all fear and medicine cannot treat this only a friendly face can. He gains all this knowledge from his own experiences and he is determined to put it into practice.

Starring alongside Williams are actors such as Monica Potter who starred in Martha Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence and as Nicolas Cage’s wife in Con Air. Daniel London who is just starting out on the big screen stars as Truman; a Doctor who sees Patch’s ideas and stands by them. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has been in films like Boogie Nights and The talented Mr Ripley, is Mitch; Patch Adams roommate at medical school. Mitch really does not like Patch at first because he as to work hard to get his grades whilst in his eyes Patch childishly messes around but still ends up the top of the class.

In the film we see that Adams is criticised for excessive happiness but we also see that this works. We see Adams come over many hurdles in life and how he manages to overcome them and survive to see another day.

In my opinion before watching the film there is a pretty good chance that it just might make you laugh because it is directed by Tom Shadyac who also directed films such as ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’, ‘Liar Liar’ starring Jim Carrey and ‘The Nutty Professor’

Patch Adams is a film that I really recommend you watch and I am definitely going to be watching it again! It must have been good my boyfriend managed to stay awake all the way through it!