Noble Story Hindered By Hollywood

by Jason R. Hewlett

I have a big problem with Hollywood studio dramas. They have a tendency to be a by-the-numbers tale designed to please Joe Sixpack and rake truckload of coin. Granted, the Hollywood machine is a business so that's the point. However, using a formula on such an important tale as the one about Hunter "Patch" Adams is a shame because it hurts a really interesting movie. People criticizes action movies and blockbusters for being cookie-cutter products but this film is just as unimaginative and aimed to please as any summer blockbuster and that left my intelligence a little insulted.

"Patch Adams" features the always awesome Robin Williams in another brilliant performance. He is the movie despite the fact that he's a bit too old for the part. His scenes with the character's love interest, portrayed by Monica Potter, make him look (almost) like he's out robbing cradles but despite that one fact I found his relationship with her to be the most convincing part of the movie. He doesn't just win her over, he courts her and slowly but surely wins her trust...just like in real life. The two performers have a great natural chemistry and I found myself believing all their moments together.

However, I had trouble buying the rest of it despite the fact that it is based on a true story. Saying that a film is "inspired" by a true story doesn't make it valid. Liberties are taken and dramatic license stretched and this film plays like a basic lesson in Screenwriting 101. The story of "Patch Adams" details the quest of one medical student to put humanity into a profession that has forgot the meaning of the word: medicine. This quest nearly costs Adams his graduation but he perceivers and establishes the Gesundheit Medical Institute where medicine is provided for free and patience are treated like real people, not a chart or a disease. It's interesting and valid stuff, particularly if you've had to spend any time under the "care" of our modern medical institutions.

The problem lies in the story's execution. Screenwriter Steve Oederkerk, who wrote and directed the very funny "Nothing To Lose," creates some great comedic moments but the dramatic elements are strictly by the numbers and culminates with a totally fabricated "feel good" ending. Even the humor feels like it was re-tailered after the production knew that Williams would be on board. It's very frustrating. They should have left the great story and its' valid point alone and let them carry the film without "fixing" it for mass consumption. Instead we get a tale about humanity dehumanized for the sake of storytelling. This happens too often in studio dramas and I'm getting tired of it. Still, a few audience members shed a few tears so it must work for some. It didn't completely work for me though.

4 out of 10!