“Patch Adams” is built on the assumption that administrators are fed ice water intravenously, and that medical students smile at the risk of lowering their grade-point average. Entire scenes occur as hospital room riffs, with Patch doing clown shtick for patients, then being dressed down by the medical school’s inhumanly cold Dean Wolcott (Bob Gunton). This section is the film’s best, but it’s still a mixed bag of comedy and bogus drama. Williams is nothing if not a good sport, and he certainly gives better than he gets from the disjointed script (by Steve Oedekerk and others), particularly during the first half of the film, when we follow Patch’s progress from the mental institution to his eventful early years in medical school. It’s as if the writers know they can’t connect with Williams’ unique comedy source, so they simply concoct “funny” scenes they hope he’ll personalize and elevate. There’s a sense of laziness or unworthiness about the writing done for him. Meanwhile, he’s stuck in roles that inevitably combine canned humor with overcooked sentiment.
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