Patch Adams poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Gunton ... see more see more... , Josef Sommer , Irma P. Hall , Frances Lee McCain , Harve Presnell , Daniella Kuhn , Jake Bowen , Peter Coyote , James Greene , Michael Jeter , Harold Gould , Richard Kiley , Ryan Hurst

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... read more read more... 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

Flixster Users

77% liked it

245,902 ratings

Critics

23% liked it

56 critics

PG-13, 2 min.

Directed by: Tom Shadyac

Release Date: December 25, 1998

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: June 22, 1999

Get It:

Stats: 9,210 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Patch Adams with cancer patient Patch Adams Patch Adams Patch Adams Laughter is contagious. Patch Adams Patch Adams
Upload a Photo | View All Patch Adams Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (9,210)

  • skeletonking101
    March 22, 2012
    skeletonking101
    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.... read more 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.
  • murphmann93
    June 24, 2011
    murphmann93
    Very sad! I loved Robin Williams in this! A must see!
  • cosmo313
    August 25, 2010
    cosmo313
    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 ... read moreisn'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.
  • fb733768972
    August 14, 2010
    fb733768972
    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 ... read morenot watched the same film as me, it was moving and very tasteful!
  • FrizzDrop
    August 2, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    A true story that makes the eyes well and the diaphragm contract. Funny and heartfelt.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    January 7, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    I remember really not liking this film when I was a kid.
  • deano
    November 25, 2009
    deano
    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 ... read moreis 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.
  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    Vomit bags at the ready for this sentimental bile!
  • stormyweather980
    September 8, 2009
    stormyweather980
    "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'... read moret 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!
  • FilmFanatik
    November 2, 2008
    FilmFanatik
    Some of this is really moving, yet some of it falls flat. Hit and miss, watch it with your family around Thanksgiving.

View All Patch Adams Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eleonore Snow
January 1, 2000
Eleonore Snow, Mr. Showbiz

By the end of it, you may feel like tripping a stranger just to shake off the sticky-sweet residue.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It extracts tears individually by liposuction, without anesthesia! Full Review

Julie Hinds
January 1, 2000
Julie Hinds, San Jose Mercury News

Somebody needs to come up with a remedy for the maudlin Robin Williams comedy.

Lisa Schwarzbaum
January 1, 2000
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Offensive and deeply false 'inspirational!' Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Those in sore need of busting a gut had better look elsewhere for comic relief. Full Review

Steven Rosen
January 1, 2000
Steven Rosen, Denver Post

It suffers from excessive heart- warming itis! Full Review

Mark Caro
January 1, 2000
Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune

Almost every scene triggers a sense of deja vu!

Philip Wuntch
January 1, 2000
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News

A sure-fire crowd-pleaser! Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Here is the year's least welcome technological advance, the computer-generated butterfly meant to provide a touch of magic for a film that has none of its own. Full Review

Tom Keogh
January 1, 2000
Tom Keogh, Film.com

A perfectly fine, play-it-safe vehicle for Robin Williams that showcases both his great gift for improvisational comedy and his ability to make a heartfelt connection.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Awakenings
    Awakenings (70%)
  • Radio
    Radio (58%)
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (33%)
  • Extraordinary Measures
    Extraordinary Measures (67%)

More Movies like Patch Adams

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Patch Adams : Watch Free on TV

Patch Adams Trivia

  • Who gives Patch all his land to start building the Gesundheit Institute in the movie Patch Adams?  Answer »
  • Which movie Paired Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Williams?  Answer »
  • What animal was Rudy, Patch's roomate, afraid of at the mental institution in Patch Adams?  Answer »
  • In what movie does Robin Williams dance in bed pans and ride a I.V. pole?  Answer »
More Patch Adams Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Patch Adams to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?