MovieChat Forums > Patch Adams (1998) Discussion > Why Patch Hated This Film

Why Patch Hated This Film

posted 11 years ago by MycroftHolmes
22 replies | jump to latest

"[Robin Williams] made $21 million for four months of pretending to be me, in a very simplistic version, and did not give $10 to my free hospital. Patch Adams, the person, would have, if I had Robin's money, given all $21 million to a free hospital in a country where 80 million cannot get care."

"The film promised to build our hospital. None of the profits from the film ever came to us, and so, basically 40 years into this work, we are still trying to build our hospital"

Sour grapes over not getting all the money it made.

What we have here is failure to communicate!

[–] askmonroville 11 years ago

Maybe it's sour grapes, or maybe it's just the fact that the Hollywood machine lied and betrayed the real man they based their movie on and made a deal with.

Are you telling me that Robin Williams NOT giving ANY of his $21 million for starring in PATCH ADAMS to help the very real patients portrayed in the movie (provided of course that the real Patch is telling the truth) is a good thing?

[–] MycroftHolmes 11 years ago

Robin Williams can do whatever he wishes with his money.

What we have here is failure to communicate!

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] HEYitzED 10 years ago

They basically just made money off of his name but didn't give any of it back. Extremely disrespectful.

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

He made money from them. Now he thinks he should have made more.

What we have here is failure to communicate!

[–] HEYitzED 10 years ago

"None of the profits from the film ever came to us"

What part of that did you not read, OP?

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

They probably never made profits. I remember Forrest Gump's writer had a deal for profits and was told the film made none. Studios have a way of disguising what they make. At the time the joke was "Their accountant must have been Forrest Gump!".

What we have here is failure to communicate!

[–] jharmon64 10 years ago

So Patch Adams is based on a real person?

I hope the real guy is nothing like the one in movie.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

How so?

What we got here is... failure to communicate!

[–] Chaseterrier 10 years ago

This just goes to show you that many of the people we admire so much aren't as great as we think they were. Robin Williams was a selfish scumbag.

I disagree. Robin Williams (an actor) was hired to do a job. He did the job and got paid for it. What he does with the money is between, him, God and the IRS.

Plus, Robin Williams did support other charities. He was a regular on the USO circuit to support the soldiers. In 1986, he teamed up with Whoopie Goldberg and Billy Crystal to found Comic Relief USA, an annual HBO television benefit devoted to the homeless, which has raised $80 million as of 2014. Williams made benefit appearances to support literacy and women's rights, along with appearing at benefits for veterans. Williams and his second wife, Marsha, founded the Windfall Foundation, a philanthropic organization to raise money for many charities. In response to the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, Williams donated all proceeds of his "Weapons of Self Destruction" Christchurch performance to helping rebuild the New Zealand city. Half the proceeds were donated to the Red Cross and half to the mayoral building fund. He was also a supporter of the St. Jude Research Hospital.

[–] eddiewinehosen 10 years ago

What?? He doesn't have to clear it with the Toothfairy and the Unicorns too?
Btw which "god" Zeus, Thor, Shiva, Krishna, Jupiter, Poseidon, Allah, Jahve, Odin, Juju on the Mountain, Huitzilopochtli or any of the other thousands maybe millions of deities mankind has made up throughout history?

[–] Chaseterrier 10 years ago

You might want to check out this link http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/patchadams.php

Did allowing the movie to be made help Patch's cause at all?

The real Patch Adams didn't receive much money for the rights to his story. Universal Pictures did however give Patch's Gesundheit Institute a grant to establish a fundraising infrastructure. This included the services of a professional fundraiser for a period of time.

Was Patch happy with Robin Williams' performance in the movie?

Robin Williams and Hunter Patch AdamsIn a CNN interview, Patch said the following, "I think Robin himself is compassion, generosity and funny. I like to think that that's who I am, and so I think he was the only actor I wanted to play me, and I think he did a fabulous job, and my friends around the country are feeling that he gives that basic message." Pictured at left is Robin Williams laughing with the real-life Hunter 'Patch' Adams.

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

So why the sour grapes from Patch?

What we got here is... failure to communicate!

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

So why the sour grapes from Patch?

Because the film was a big step for Robin and he got a lot of money for it, and didn't see fit to give any of it to the cause. Doesn't mean Patch didn't admire him for the good he DID accomplish in his life. There IS another upside to it though, the movie got Patch's name out, that's how *I* first found out about him and how I got inspired to write the Gesundheit Institute, and I've been in correspondence with Patch for 10 years now, and over the years I have sent a few donations for the hospital, so yes, sour grapes for the time, but good still came from it.

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

I dislike people who think they know what other people should do with their money. It's a pet peeve of mine.

What we got here is... failure to communicate!

[–] DJMykee 10 years ago

Upon hearing of the death of Robin Williams, he released this statement. "The terrible news of the passing of Robin Williams reached me here in the Peruvian Amazon late Monday night with tremendous sadness. Surrounded by over 100 friends and clowns on our annual clown trip, we mourn this tragic loss and continue to treasure his comic genius. Robin Williams was a wonderful, kind and generous man. One important thing I remember about his personality is that he was unassuming—he never acted as if he was powerful or famous. Instead, he was always tender and welcoming, willing to help others with a smile or a joke. Robin was a brilliant comedian—there is no doubt. He was a compassionate, caring human being. While watching him work on the set of the film based on my life—Patch Adams–I saw that whenever there was a stressful moment, Robin would tap into his improvisation style to lighten the mood of cast and crew. Also, I would like to point out, Robin would be especially kind toward my children when they would visit the set. Contrary to how many people may view him, he actually seemed to me to be an introvert. When he invited me and my family into his home, he valued peace and quiet, a chance to breathe—a chance to get away from the fame that his talent has brought him. While early in life, he turned to drug use and alcohol to escape, he replaced the addiction with moments of solitude to help cope with the stress that fame brought. This world is not kind to people who become famous, and the fame he had garnered was a nightmare. While saddened, we are left with the consequences of his death. I’m enormously grateful for his wonderful performance of my early life, which has allowed the Gesundheit Institute to continue and expand our work. We extend our blessings to his family and friends in this moment of sadness. Thank you for all you’ve given this world Robin, thank you my friend."

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

I guess the quotes attributed to Patch were not true, or he feels differently now.

What we got here is... failure to communicate!

[–] gcarras 9 years ago

Very impressed with your expioerence with the film AND with PATCH (did you tell him that you knew that the film popularized Patch's name?).

Permanent avatar:Courtney Thorne-Smith
Twitter account:SJCarras
MAGIC=Sarah Silverman.

[–] AndreiPavlov 10 years ago

"Taglines: Based On A True Story." How come the real Patch is alive, while the actor who played him is dead? Didn't Patch commit suicide at the end of the bio-drama?

Nu chto gliadite? Ne poluchali davno?

[–] MycroftHolmes 10 years ago

No.

What we got here is... failure to communicate!



[–] yusef-ghanima 9 years ago

if the movie didn't make enough publicity to patch in order to continue his dream, it's because the american society is dead and need to be finished.

i mostly will not be able to answer your reply, since marissa mayer hacked my email, no notification