Patch Adams

"Laughter is contagious."

1998 1h 55m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🥫

22%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 3,540🥫22%Rotten Tomatoes●26Metacritic★6.9IMDB · 128,833

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Laughter is contagious.”

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tom Shadyac
Writers: Steve Oedekerk
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tom Shadyac, shot by Phedon Papamichael. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marc Shaiman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Don Zimmerman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robin Williams and Daniel London and Monica Potter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Laughter is contagious.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tom Shadyac directs. Phedon Papamichael behind the camera. Marc Shaiman scores. Don Zimmerman cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Tom Shadyac, shot by Phedon Papamichael. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Marc Shaiman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Don Zimmerman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Robin Williams and Daniel London and Monica Potter carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Laughter is contagious.".
9IMDB entry: tt0129290 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "based on novel or book", "nurse", "1970s", "based on true story".