---
title: "Patch Adams: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/patch-adams/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/patch-adams"
critics_score: 46
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Patch Adams (1998): what the critics said

Critics' score 46 from 8 reviews: 2 positive, 2 mixed, 4 negative.

The consensus leans negative, and nearly every critic, admirer or not, reaches for the same word: sentimental. Most reviews agree the film is built to work on the tear ducts, and the quarrel is over whether that matters. Where praise lands, it lands on Robin Williams, whom several critics find well cast and credit with joining physical comedy to real compassion. Variety looks past him and singles out Philip Seymour Hoffman for giving depth to a thinly written part.

The spread is wide. Empire and Eye for Film find the film heartfelt despite the syrup and are moved enough to forgive it. Radio Times sits in the middle, allowing that Williams suits the role but saying the film overindulges his clowning. Total Film faults Tom Shadyac’s slack direction and sees Williams repeating earlier roles. The sharpest dissent is Philip French in The Guardian, who calls the film preachy and self-righteous and objects both to its insensitivity and to Williams’s portrait of Adams.

## Empire — Darren Bignell

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Bignell finds the film generally positive and emotionally engaging, though overly sentimental and manipulative at times. He praises Robin Williams’s memorable performance and his ability to combine physical comedy with compassion.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/patch-adams-review/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 1998. 

The article appears to review Patch Adams, but its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be determined from the accessible page. The article text was inaccessible.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/24/movies/film-review-take-two-giggles-twice-daily-physician-squeal-thyself.html)

## Radio Times — Angie Errigo

Rating 3/5. 

Errigo finds Williams well cast, but says the film overindulges his clowning and relies on saccharine emotional manipulation. She praises Williams’s portrayal of Patch’s idealism and suggests viewers frustrated by impersonal medical care will enjoy his rule-breaking approach.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-1z010s/patch-adams/)

## Total Film — Total Film

Rating 2/5. 12 February 1999. 

The review finds the film emotionally manipulative but ultimately bad, with Robin Williams repeating familiar territory. It criticizes Tom Shadyac’s slack direction and the story’s resemblance to Williams’s earlier roles.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/patch-adams-review/)

## Time Out — DA

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 

The description characterizes the film as a slushy comedy drama, suggesting a negative verdict. It singles out the film’s sentimental tone as a complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/patch-adams)

## Variety — Joe Leydon

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 1998. 

Leydon finds the film shamelessly sentimental and emotionally manipulative, though he notes its potential crowd-pleasing appeal. He praises Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance for giving depth to a thinly written character.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/patch-adams-1200456239/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 14 March 1999. 

French condemns the film as preachy, sentimental and self-righteous. He particularly objects to its insensitivity and Robin Williams’s portrait of Patch Adams.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer/0,,30121,00.html)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. 

The critic finds the film sentimental and simplified but ultimately heartfelt and emotionally stirring. Robin Williams is singled out for bringing compassion and commitment to the story.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/patch-adams-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/patch-adams.md