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.
Directed by Tom Shadyac
based on novel or book
nurse
1970s
based on true story
psychiatric hospital
hospital
doctor
suicidal thoughts
medical school
determination
medical drama
1960s
based on real person
Rank
#54 in 1998·#3067 overall
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Robin Williams
Hunter 'Patch' Adams
Monica Potter
Carin Fisher
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Mitch Roman
Daniel London
Truman Schiff
Bob Gunton
Dean Walcott
Harve Presnell
Dean Anderson
Peter Coyote
Bill Davis
Michael Jeter
Rudy
Josef Sommer
Dr. Eaton
Irma P. Hall
Joletta
Barry Shabaka Henley
Emmet
Frances Lee McCain
Judy
Crew
Tom Shadyac
Director
Steve Oedekerk
Screenplay
Marc Shaiman
Original Music Composer
Phedon Papamichael
Director of Photography
Charles Newirth
Producer
Mike Farrell
Producer
Patch Adams
Novel
Daryl Tucker
Electrician
Debra Zane
Casting
Jeff Atmajian
Orchestrator
Dean Zimmerman
Assistant Editor
Charles Croughwell
Stunt Coordinator
Popular Reviews
765 reviews
Philipp
7.0★ · 04/14/26
Robin Williams' smile could‘ve brought world peace
Robin Williams' smile could‘ve brought world peace
1
Noah
7.0★ · 01/06/26
**“Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death.”
**Patch Adams, please be my doctor.
I saw a clip of this on tik tok and I was simply intrigued. I thought this was going to be a lighthearted, fun watch. While it was that in some ways, the emotional parts also hit hard too for me. I genuinely cried during Patch Adams. The story is all over the place but the messages in this film are so pure and good. Robin Williams was perfect for this role and he embodied exactly who Patch Adams was. Was he perfect? No, but he was so dedicated to his goal and his goal was good. That’s what matters in the end. This film puts a smile on your face and it tears you down. It hits all the points it tried to for me and I would definitely recommend this.
**“Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death.”
**Patch Adams, please be my doctor.
I saw a clip of this on tik tok and I was simply intrigued. I thought this was going to be a lighthearted, fun watch. While it was that in some ways, the emotional parts also hit hard too for me. I genuinely cried during Patch Adams. The story is all over the place but the messages in this film are so pure and good. Robin Williams was perfect for this role and he embodied exactly who Patch Adams was. Was he perfect? No, but he was so dedicated to his goal and his goal was good. That’s what matters in the end. This film puts a smile on your face and it tears you down. It hits all the points it tried to for me and I would definitely recommend this.
