Patch Adams (1998)

Director:

Tom Shadyac

Writers (WGA):

Patch Adams (book) and
Maureen Mylander (book) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Based On A True Story.

Plot:

A medical student in the 70's that treated patients, illegally, using humor.

Plot Keywords:

Medical | Doctor | Hospital | Student | Nurse

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Patch Adams
Daniel London	...	Truman
Monica Potter	...	Carin
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Mitch
Bob Gunton	...	Dean Walcott
Josef Sommer	...	Dr. Eaton
Irma P. Hall	...	Joletta
Frances Lee McCain	...	Judy
Harve Presnell	...	Dean Anderson
Daniella Kuhn	...	Adelane
Peter Coyote	...	Bill Davis
James Greene	...	Bile
Michael Jeter	...	Rudy
Harold Gould	...	Arthur Mendelson
Bruce Bohne	...	Trevor Beene

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and crude humor.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Philippines:G | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Blue Wolf

Trivia:

The song "Faith of the Heart" performed in this film by Rod Stewart, was later used as theme song of "Enterprise" (2001).

Goofs:

Continuity: Position of Patch's hands and fingers in the first "How many fingers do you see?" scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hunter Patch Adams: All of life is a coming home. Salesmen, secretaries, coal miners, beekeepers, sword swallowers, all of us. All the restless hearts of the world, all trying to find a way home. It's hard to describe what I felt like then. Picture yourself walking for days in the driving snow; you don't even know you're walking in circles. The heaviness of your legs in the drifts, your shouts disappearing into the wind. How small you can feel, and how far away home can be.
Hunter Patch Adams: Home. The dictionary defines it as both a place of origin and a goal or destination. And the storm? The storm was all in my mind. Or as the poet Dante put it: In the middle of the journey of my life, I found myself in a dark wood, for I had lost the right path. Eventually I would find the right path, but in the most unlikely place.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "House M.D.: Ugly (#4.7)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Chattanooga Choo Choo

True life story?

I recently bought the DVD of Patch Adams, and, after watching the movie was some what impressed by his "hard life". After all, the girl of his dreams dies. She has had a horrible past with hints of abuse etc.....But afterwards, I listened to the directer's notes about the story. So much of this movie was "poetic licence". Patch Adam's did not have a girlfriend who was murdered. Admittedly, in "real life" Patch Adam's best friend, a male was murdered, but why not tell this true story as it happened - not try to pull heart strings by making up a female who never existed. Throughout the story, the directer talks of scenes that they invented to make the movie more interesting. After listening to how much of the film was "poetic licence" my view of this movie has gone right down.