Patch Adams (1998)

23% of critics liked it
(56 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(245,902 ratings)

The fact-based story of an unconventional physician who attempted to heal patients with laughter, based on his own book and mixing equal doses of scatological humor and pathos. Robin Williams stars as Hunter Adams, a troubled young man who commits himself to a mental institution in the late 1960s.… More The fact-based story of an unconventional physician who attempted to heal patients with laughter, based on his own book and mixing equal doses of scatological humor and pathos. Robin Williams stars as Hunter Adams, a troubled young man who commits himself to a mental institution in the late 1960s. His experiences there convince Adams to become a doctor, and he enrolls in medical school, where he is appalled at the cold, clinical professionalism that alienates patients from their caregivers. Determined to provide emotional and spiritual relief as well as medicine, Adams clowns around for his patients, getting to know them personally. Although his efforts seem to work wonders and the hospital nursing staff is grateful for the levity Adams provides, his methods alienate his uptight roommate Mitch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as well as the staff and faculty of his school. Adams perseveres, however, even starting his own low-cost rural clinic called the Gesundheit Institute, and wooing a pretty fellow student, Carin (Monica Potter). Tragedy strikes, and Adams' career is put in jeopardy, forcing him to defend his style and philosophy before a board of jurists determined to bar him from practicing medicine. Patch Adams (1998) was produced by former M*A*S*H (1972-83) star Mike Farrell, who met the real-life Adams when the offbeat doctor served as an advisor to the actor's popular TV series. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 min.
Directed By: Tom Shadyac
Written By: Steve Oedekerk
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 25, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Jun 22, 1999
Studio: Universal Studios

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
It extracts tears individually by liposuction, without anesthesia!
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Instead of drama, Patch Adams gives us mere iconography, and wastes Williams's iconoclastic dedicated doc.
Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune
Almost every scene triggers a sense of deja vu!
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Unforgivably manipulative and shallow.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Indulges to the hilt every obnoxious, hyperactive, oh-what-I-wouldn't-give-for-a-tranquilizer-gun aspect of Robin Williams' performing style.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Has obviously been made for an audience that has never seen a movie before.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
...Formulaic from the word go, with so many trite, overused devices that it could serve as a primer for 'things to avoid when making an original movie.'
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...infuriating because it divides the world into fun-loving rebels and uptight establishment-types
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
The true story of a Virginia medical student who breaks all the rules by daring to proclaim that the best medicine for patients is love, laughter and play.
Jim Chastain, Norman Transcript
This film wants to be loved so much, it pleads with us to believe its black and white message.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael E

A Dr. who had changed the way that all doctors had treated their patients and what he had gone through to be accepted as a full on doctor. But how does Robin Williams do as his portrayal of this incredible man. Patch Adams is based on the life of the great Doctor Hunter Adams. The… More
A Dr. who had changed the way that all doctors had treated their patients and what he had gone through to be accepted as a full on doctor. But how does Robin Williams do as his portrayal of this incredible man. Patch Adams is based on the life of the great Doctor Hunter Adams. The film follows his life after he goes to medical school and he is criticized by the head of the school due to him helping other patients when he doesn't need to help them when more experienced doctors should get the job done of making the patients feel better in the medical sense. But Patch wants to make patients feel better in the mental sense as well as the medical sense. Robin Williams does a magnificent job as Hunter Adams, making him both a kind and sympathetic character and making him also a very likable and funny character, and you truly feel for all the pain he is going through during his time at medical school. Monica Porter does a great job as well as his love interest even if in real life her character was a male and had no affection for Patch in the love sense. She does a good job at being a somewhat mean character but she ends up being a very well developed and likable character near the end of her character in the film. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Daniel London also both do great jobs as his good friends and Phillip Seymour Hoffman does a great job at being both a hatable character and ends up being a likable character. Now for a Robin Williams this isn't really a comedic based film which is somewhat surprising for a film marketed as a film where Robin Williams is on the poster with a clown nose. he does act goofy a lot in the film but not as much as you'd expect, and really, its somewhat welcome for a film like this and he does the drama off well with this small bit of goofiness. Overall this is my favorite of Robin Willaims film and one of my favorite movies, and that says a lot for a non comedic film when Williams is one of my favorite comedians as of late. The acting is well done, the characters are likable, and the film has some real good drama and shocks. If you can check this film out I'd say do it, no matter what the Nostalgia critic says.
Bethany M

Very sad! I loved Robin Williams in this! A must see!
Chris W

This isn't a total failure, but it really missed the opportunity to be great. I blame the writing, and maybe the direction. Not sure if Shadyac was a good choice here, but I can't think of who should have done it. I like the cast though. They give some good performances.… More
This isn't a total failure, but it really missed the opportunity to be great. I blame the writing, and maybe the direction. Not sure if Shadyac was a good choice here, but I can't think of who should have done it. I like the cast though. They give some good performances. This isn't Williams at his best, but he's been worse. Hoffman and Gunton do a good job, even though they both have done these types of perforances before. This movie is a little uneven with the humor and the pathos, but I did like the gag involving the gynecologists. Overall, this is a mixed bag, but seeing it once probably wouldn't kill you.
KJ P

It doesn't even feel like that good of a movie when it starts, and I know that this film has been hated on by critics, and I have no idea why. Patch Adams earns a great performance from Robin Williams and the film itself is touching and inspiring. I believe that the critics have… More
It doesn't even feel like that good of a movie when it starts, and I know that this film has been hated on by critics, and I have no idea why. Patch Adams earns a great performance from Robin Williams and the film itself is touching and inspiring. I believe that the critics have not watched the same film as me, it was moving and very tasteful!
Spencer S

A true story that makes the eyes well and the diaphragm contract. Funny and heartfelt.
Jennifer D

I remember really not liking this film when I was a kid.
Dean M

Robin Williams is an angel as well as a comic geninus in this biopic of a doctor who works really hard to entertain the poor patients in the hospital to keep them laugh and smile. What a heart-warming true story. I thought of this film is good, but bit bored. Almost every scene is… More
Robin Williams is an angel as well as a comic geninus in this biopic of a doctor who works really hard to entertain the poor patients in the hospital to keep them laugh and smile. What a heart-warming true story. I thought of this film is good, but bit bored. Almost every scene is trite and overdone. Most the medical student only appear while clapping for Adams and that too with the same expressions. Its a serious film but director has made a fool out of the real character. Movie has serious problems. On few occasions it becomes very evident that Adams is doing everything for himself and not for others. The whole romantic angle is just too big a pain to bear in a film which is supposed to be 'philosophically elevating'. Then it becomes a fight between a hero and a villain.
Anthony L

Vomit bags at the ready for this sentimental bile!
Jason O

"Patch Adams" is truly a great movie in every way. Robin Williams plays as Patch Adams, a doctor who tries to be more than just a doctor to his patients, he tries to be a friend by making them laugh and by getting to know them personally. With his sense of humor, Patch Adams… More
"Patch Adams" is truly a great movie in every way. Robin Williams plays as Patch Adams, a doctor who tries to be more than just a doctor to his patients, he tries to be a friend by making them laugh and by getting to know them personally. With his sense of humor, Patch Adams isn't like any other doctor. Doctors are known to be all business and to mainly be stuck up and to just get to the facts and then that's all. Therefore, when some of the people, mainly his roomate and the person who owns the hospital, notice Patch Adams's antics, they get angry about the way he does his job and they let him know about it. On the other hand, many of the doctors and nurses like Patch and think he is great for the hospital. But one thing's for sure, ALL of the patients like Patch a lot. Even though Patch is pretty old to be in medical school, he makes friends fast and develops a real important relationship with one of the female students at the school. "Patch Adams" is one of the best all around movies I've ever seen and in my opinion, it's Robin Williams's best movie by far. Like usual Robin Williams is hilarious while he's doing his antics in the movie, especially when he uses a skeleton to talk to the woman he likes. But even better, he does his humorous tricks in the movie and gets to know the patients and the other people with a real passion and understanding that shines through and makes this Robin Williams's best effort ever, in my opinion. Going to the doctor might not be such a hassle or a burden if there were more doctors like Patch Adams. "Patch Adams" is an inspirational and heartwarming movie that I recommend anybody to watch. Whether you like comedy movies, drama, or any type of movie, I recommend giving "Patch Adams" a try. It's hard to put into words how great this movie really is. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Definitely one of Robin Williams's best movies ever, if not his best!
Tim S

Some of this is really moving, yet some of it falls flat. Hit and miss, watch it with your family around Thanksgiving.
Sanjaya &

I really really never underestimated the power of Robin Williams... His movie always amazed me, love many of them... In this movie, I feel the same way too about Robin... His performance in this movie was really really funny and makes me wanna laugh... And having the truth that this… More
I really really never underestimated the power of Robin Williams... His movie always amazed me, love many of them... In this movie, I feel the same way too about Robin... His performance in this movie was really really funny and makes me wanna laugh... And having the truth that this movie is based on a true story is another thing that makes me more amazed... Really really amazed me... Just a thought of me, is Tom Shadyac wants Julia Roberts to play in this movie but he can't get her?? Because Monica Potter face is so similar to Julia Roberts, I even get confused when I first ever saw her...
Daniel J D

Definitely one of Robin Williams' better dramedies.
Curtis L

Okay.
Taylor B

HE IS FUNNY HA HA HA
Flutie A

Though it slows down at points, and gets off to a depressing start, it's a good movie overall..... It still is really tough to watch after the big shocker near the end (you'll know it...it's the game changer)....
Rachel F

Really sad, but Robin Williams is just amazing.
xGary X

Slightly less enjoyable than sticking your head in a bucket of cold sick. But a similar experience.
Jason S

Funny but very sad at the end. Might lead to heavy drinking.
Kalel J

Robin Williams returns to that other side of his acting career - the sentimental side, and luckily he manages to make it work. Patch Adams may not be the most heart wrenching film but it manages to strike chords in different aspects of different audience members and because of this it… More
Robin Williams returns to that other side of his acting career - the sentimental side, and luckily he manages to make it work. Patch Adams may not be the most heart wrenching film but it manages to strike chords in different aspects of different audience members and because of this it has made itself memorable. This element of sorrow and care for characters is portrayed well in the script and luckily it is portrayed well by the actors who are able to make their characters believable while also being able to have realistic connections to the other characters. Plotwise and filmmaking wise this film is done well but certain choices during the production process are evident. The films deserves a touch more than what I am giving it but I have decided to take a little off the rating for one fact - actual sick and dying children were incorporated into the film, bad move.
Matt P

The sheer warmth of this movie is enough to make you fall in love with it.