The Real Patch Adams ‘Hated’ the ‘Shallow’ Robin Williams Movie
Robin Williams became an iconic actor who got audiences of all ages to laugh. His impressions and style of comedy made him memorable for decades. Fans still enjoy his hit films years after his death. Nevertheless, Williams had a streak of failed movies like Bicentennial Man. Another example would be Patch Adams. Not only did critics pan the film, but the real Patch Adams also hated it.
Robin Williams was the lead in ‘Patch Adams’
Patch Adams is a comedy-drama from 1998 that depicts the life of Dr. Hunter Adams. Williams portrays the title character, Hunter “Patch” Adams, a patient at a mental institution who discovers the benefits of using humor to help his fellow patients. As a result, he decides to become a medical student once his hospitalization ends.
Throughout the movie, Patch challenges the school’s approach to medical care. The reason is that he does not like how students do not get to learn how to connect with patients. He wants future doctors to be able to befriend the ones they treat.
This leads to Patch performing stunts like building a giant paper model of legs. Meanwhile, he wears clown noses and applies humor when treating people. While he gets in trouble, it becomes clear that his unconventional methods have been helping the well-being of patients.
The story appears inspiring, and the movie earned $135 million at the box office. However, not everyone enjoyed the sentimental tone. The film generated negative reviews from critics for multiple reasons — including deviating from the true story it’s based on.
The real-life Patch Adams hated the adaptation
Since Patch Adams drew inspiration from a person’s actual life, some people may wonder about the real Adams’ thoughts. According to Newsweek, Adams is one of the many who has criticized the biopic and stated, “I hate that movie.” One of his grievances was about how people perceived him afterward.
“After the movie, there wasn’t a single positive article about our work or me. There were dumb, stupid, meaningless things…it made my children cry,” Adams stated. “I knew the movie would do this. I would become a funny doctor. Imagine how shallow that is relative to who I am.”
Another reason Adams hated the movie was that Hollywood did not fulfill its promise. The doctor claimed some of the revenue was supposed to go toward his non-profit organization, the Gesundheit! Institute. However, he did not receive anything after the film’s release. Regardless, Adams remains dedicated to making kids smile around the world.
Robin Williams cheered up cancer patients
Many of the real child patients in Patch Adams were dealing with cancer at the time. Several survivors recalled what it was like to be on set and working with Williams. Unsurprising to some fans, the late actor would make the kids laugh in between scenes.
One of the children mentioned how Williams felt like one of them rather than a big-name star. He must have seemed more like his character even after the camera stopped rolling. However, Williams’ compassion went above and beyond the big screen.
For example, Garry Kravit told CNN about the time Williams showed kindness to his nephew, David Buist. In 2001, Buist received a diagnosis of an aggressive form of lymphoma cancer. Despite this, he wanted to focus on building a new Ronald McDonald House in New York.
Therefore, Kravit asked Williams for signed items to help raise money for the charity project. Not only did the actor fulfill the request, but he also would call Buist when the cancer treatment got tough. In addition, Williams invited the two backstage after a comedy special a year later.
