Writer: Jeffrey Price, Peter S Seaman, Daniel Pyne (Screenplay) Neil B Shulman (Book)
Starring: Michael J Fox, Julie Warner, Barnard Hughes, Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers, Frances Sternhagen, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda
Plot: A young doctor causes a traffic accident in a small town and is sentenced to work for some days at the town hospital.
Tagline – This summer’s prescription for comedy
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Enjoyable Small Town Comedy
Story: Doc Hollywood starts as we meet hotshot doctor Ben Stone (Fox) who is on his way to a cosmetic surgery job in Beverly Hills only for him to have an accident and upsetting the locals. Ben is forced into working for 32-hours in the local doctors to pay for his crime, the Mayor (Stiers) is trying to talk into staying in the town as the new doctor and Ben must learn to navigate the town for the week.
In the town Ben starts to fall for the feisty ambulance driver Lou (Warner) who just might give him a reason to stay away from the big city life.
Thoughts on Doc Hollywood
Characters – Ben Stone has worked for years to get to the very top of his field, he is finally getting a chance to make serious money in the world of cosmetic surgery, this has made him cocky and selfish in nature. After his accident he does try to talk himself out of any trouble only to end up needing to be a small towns doctor for the week, he finds himself torn between the high life or the quiet life after falling for a woman in the town. Lou is the ambulance driver in the town, Ben falls for her, she has her own ambitions and has made her sacrifices along the way after a previous heartache. Dr Hogue is the current doctor in the town, he is old school style and his ways clash with Ben, he doesn’t like the new way of doctoring, but his health isn’t what it used to be. Hank is the love rival of Ben, he has been good friends with Lou for years and his fast-taking style tries to sell everyone insurance.
Performances – Michael J Fox is fantastic in the leading role here, he gets to show his natural charisma to show us how unlikeable a cocky and likeable a character can be. Julie Warner is great as the love interest that could have too much baggage for a man like Ben, we see how she makes us want and understand her characters decisions. We get a good supporting cast who all give performances that fit the characters they are playing.
Story – The story here shows us how a successful doctor on route to a big job which would leave him in the life of luxury, but along the way he ends up stuck in a small town getting back to the roots of what it is to be a doctor of a small community. This is a story that while is generic is easily on that can be enjoyed, we see how one man who has only ever thought about himself starts helping people in need of help and learning this is what will make him feel happy in life. We do get the town dynamics which we would expect to see and of course we need the love story as the woman Ben meets could help him see life a new way. This is one story that has a sweetness to everything going on and is easily one we could see everyone enjoy.
Comedy/Romance – The film does have a wonderful amount of comedy that often comes Ben’s reaction to anything he isn’t used too. The romance side of the film shows us just how meeting someone can change your view on life.
Settings – The film shows us how a high rolling doctor must adapt to quiet town after committing a minor crime, this shows us just how different the two worlds Ben must be involved.
Scene of the Movie – Leaving town.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Certain supporting characters would be classed as generic small town figures.
Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable comedy that showed us just how talented Michael J Fox was, it might well be generic formula and this only makes this more enjoyable movie.
Overall: Fun serious rom com.
Rating