From All Movie Guide: Robin Williams stars in the biopic Patch Adams, which comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.0. There are no subtitles, but the English soundtrack is closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by director Tom Shadyac, biographies, outtakes, trailers, and information on the medicinal value of laughter.

more

VideoHound Golden Movie Retriever 2000: Maverick medical student Hunter "Patch" Adams (Williams) takes the expression "laughter is the best medicine" literally and treats terminally ill patients with slapstick routines. Naturally, his stodgy old boss, not to mention the rest of the medical establishment, frown on his antics and prefer more conventional treatments (like medicine). But Patch thumbs his nose at The Man and tries to defend his unorthodox ways to fellow students, including the requisite love interest (Carter). Director Shaydac and screenwriter Oedekerk, both of "Ace Ventura" fame, seem to sit back and let Williams unleash his rapid-fire wackiness without much direction--not unlike Jim Carrey's one-man-show in the "Ace" flicks. Ultimately, flick is brought down by sappy melodrama and emotional manipulation under the guise of sincere emotion.