Synopsis
The true story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, who in the 1970s found that humor is the best medicine, and was willing to do just anything to make his patients laugh—even if it meant risking his own career.
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Cast
- Robin WilliamsHunter "Patch" Adams
- Monica PotterCarin Fisher
- Philip Seymour HoffmanMitch Roman
- Daniel LondonTruman Schiff
- Bob GuntonDean Walcott
- Harve PresnellDean Anderson
- Peter CoyoteBill Davis
- Michael JeterRudy
- Josef SommerDr. Eaton
- Irma P. HallJoletta
Recommendations
- 75
San Francisco Chronicle
A perfect vehicle for Robin Williams. He again plays the compassionate, manic clown that has been his main character throughout his movie career. And audiences love his wild end runs. - 60
Variety
Shamelessly sappy and emotionally manipulative, Patch Adams is an aggressively heartwarming comedy-drama that may be roasted by critics but embraced by ticketbuyers. - 50
ReelViews
The kind of film that will work for an audience that's just interested in having an emotional experience (with a happy ending) without caring how obviously or clumsily they are manipulated. I find this sort of sledgehammer film making to be offensive, but there are those who enjoy it. - 50
San Francisco Examiner
Could have been maudlin from start to finish. Instead, more than half the 154-minute film is riveting - filled with funny, touching bits that don't stoop to cheap sentimentality. - 40
The New York Times
Low humor might count for more here if it weren't constantly overshadowed by the film's maudlin streak. - 40
The A.V. Club
The film begins to resemble the dramatic equivalent of a porno movie, with emotional orgasms spewing forth at a rapid clip. By the time Patch Adams reaches its narrative climax, it has long since shot its dramatic load. - 38
Chicago Sun-Times
Made me want to spray the screen with Lysol. This movie is shameless. It's not merely a tearjerker. It extracts tears individually by liposuction, without anesthesia. - 25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Patch Adams is a flawed visionary, but surely he deserves better than this crass and manipulative movie.
