Patch Adams

Starring: Daniel London, Robin Williams Director: Tom Shadyac Original UK Premiere: 1999 Dvd Release: 8th September, 2003 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding Subtitled In: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish Dubbed In: German

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The film “Patch Adams” is directed by Tom Shadyac & bases on the life of Hunter Adams & the book: “Gesundheit: Good health is laughing matter” by Hunter Doherty Adams & Maureen Mylander. Protagonist of the film is Hunter Adams. After a suicide attempt he admitted himself to psychiatry in 1969. At the beginning he worries about his own problems, only. Step by step he gets in touch with the other patients suffer. “Patch”. Figuring out that when he treats other people’s diseases he can forget about his own problems he decides to leave the mental hospital in order to study medicine. Two years later Patch enrolls at Virginia Medical University & there are no doubts that he is the oldest first year student. He meets Mitch Roman, a fellow student. The beginning lecture is given by Dean Walcott. Dean Walcott explains that human beings are not worthy to be trusted because men do mistakes. So he is going to make something better out of the students & this means doctors.

Patch Adams raises two schools of thought: there are those who are inspired by the true story of a troubled man who finds happiness in helping others, a man set on changing the world & who may well accomplish the task. And then there are those who feel manipulated by this feel-good story, who want to smack the young medical student every time he begins his silly antics.

Staving off suicidal thoughts, Hunter Adams commits himself into a psychiatric ward, where he not only garners the nickname Patch but learns the joy in helping others. To this end, he decides to go to medical school, where he clashes with the staid conventions of the establishment as he attempts to inject humour & humanity into his treatment of the patients . Robin Williams, in the title role, is as charming as ever, although someone should tell him to broaden his range, the ever-cheerful, do-gooder à la Good Will Hunting & Dead Poets Society is getting a little old. His sidekick Truman steals the show with his gawky allure & eyebrows that threaten to overtake his lean face, he seems more real, which is odd considering that Patch Adams does exist & this film is based on his life. Monica Potter is the coolly reluctant love interest & she makes the most of her one-dimensional part. While moments of true heartfelt emotion do come through, the major flaw of this film is that the good guys are just so gosh-darn good & the bad ones are just big meanies with no character development. Patch Adams, though, does provide the tears, the giggles & the kooky folks who will keep you smiling at the end.

Robin McLaurin Williams is a multi-award-winning American actor & comedian who was born in Chicago, Illinois. He first achieved notice for his stand-up routines in San Francisco. His first major acting role was in the television series Mork & Mindy, which ran from 1978 to 1982. The majority of his acting career has been for cinema, although he has made some memorable performances on stage as well. He is known for his wild improv skills & impersonations. He is a talented mimic & can jump in & out of characters at an extremely fast pace. Many of his roles have been comic. He has also starred in serious movies & in 1998 he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting. Robin Williams & his wife Marsha Garces Williams founded the Windfall Foundation, a philanthropic organization to raise money for many different charities. Robin Williams devotes much of his energy doing work for charities, including the Comic Relief fund-raising efforts. Williams was married to Valerie Velardi from June 4, 1978 to 1988, with whom he had one child. Posters Of Robots

Editors Choice: Robots, Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting, Death To Smoochy, One Hour Photo, Bicentennial Man, Flubber, Jakob The Liar, View DVDology

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