movie: Patch Adams
Feb. 15th, 2007 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
topazI have a tendency to lose track of the movies I've seen and books I've read recently, so I'm making an effort this year to write at least a little bit about each book I read and movie I see this year.
A few weeks agoactjack sent us a box full of movies and books he was passing along. Patch Adams was one of them.
A few weeks ago
actjack sent us a box full of movies and books he was passing along. Patch Adams was one of them.I liked this more than I expected to. Okay, so it's sappy and sentimental and formulaic and predictable. For all that, it's well-crafted, and the deep dark truth is that I have a certain weakness for Robin Williams. (Note: this is not a total weakness. I still have some defenses. I did not, for instance, see either Jakob the Liar or Death to Smoochy.)
There were a couple of things in particular I liked. One was Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was mostly wasted in his role in the role of "sniveling tool" -- but he had a couple of moments where he was actually able to make the character sympathetic. Hoffman has made a cottage industry out of playing damaged people, and for him to bring any depth at all to a role like this speaks volumes about his skill as an actor.
The other was Monica Potter, playing another Hollywood archetype, that of "cold and aloof romantic interest who is inevitably brought 'round by the hero's charm and lucky persistence." What made this interesting was that even after being won over, she remained cold and aloof. The movie gave us a reason why she had an all-business attitude all the time, and the actress made it part of her personality. She played "exasperated" and "amused" in exactly the right combination. It worked well.
I wouldn't watch this movie again and wouldn't disagree with anyone who disliked it, but it was a fine way to pass a snowbound evening. :-)
There were a couple of things in particular I liked. One was Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was mostly wasted in his role in the role of "sniveling tool" -- but he had a couple of moments where he was actually able to make the character sympathetic. Hoffman has made a cottage industry out of playing damaged people, and for him to bring any depth at all to a role like this speaks volumes about his skill as an actor.
The other was Monica Potter, playing another Hollywood archetype, that of "cold and aloof romantic interest who is inevitably brought 'round by the hero's charm and lucky persistence." What made this interesting was that even after being won over, she remained cold and aloof. The movie gave us a reason why she had an all-business attitude all the time, and the actress made it part of her personality. She played "exasperated" and "amused" in exactly the right combination. It worked well.
I wouldn't watch this movie again and wouldn't disagree with anyone who disliked it, but it was a fine way to pass a snowbound evening. :-)
