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Revision as of 04:04, 6 November 2013 by TheOldJacobite (talk | contribs) (→Cars plagiarism: ---Added Total Film quote and ref, per Betty Logan's comment on talk.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1991 film| Doc Hollywood | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Caton-Jones |
| Written by | Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman Daniel Pyne |
| Produced by | Deborah D. Johnson Susan Solt |
| Starring | Michael J. Fox Julie Warner Woody Harrelson |
| Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
| Edited by | Priscilla Nedd-Friendly |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | August 2, 1991 |
| Running time | 104 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17 million |
| Box office | $54,830,779 |
Doc Hollywood is a 1991 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on Neil B. Shulman's book, What? Dead...Again?. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, and Woody Harrelson, with Bridget Fonda, David Ogden Stiers, Frances Sternhagen, Roberts Blossom, and Barnard Hughes appear in supporting roles.
The film was shot on location in Micanopy, Florida.
Plot
Dr. Benjamin Stone is a hotshot young surgeon who longs to leave the drudgery of a Washington, D.C., emergency room and finally leaps at his chance at more money (for repaying his medical school debts) and less death as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California. On his last day, none of Ben's colleagues will join him for a drink and a cake in his honor has an iced portion of the phrase "Good riddance, asshole" sliced out.
Ben's cross-country drive in a 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster is interrupted when he crashes in the rural hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. The crash damages the fence of local Judge Evans, who sentences him to community service at a nearby hospital. Ben offers to pay for the fence, but the stern judge increases his community service each time he talks back. Defeated, he reports to the hospital, where Nurse Packer humbles him by clocking him in and out, like a factory worker.
Though upset, Ben quickly makes friends with Mayor Nick Nicholson, the town cafe's proprietor/head waitress, and Melvin, the local mechanic tasked with repairing Ben's car. Ben soon finds his clinic work to be much more laid-back than the emergency room. He has simple cases such as spots before the eyes (from an elderly patient not cleaning her glasses), fishing hook impalings, and even reading mail for a young illiterate couple, whose baby he later delivers.
The experience also humbles Ben when he mistreats a case of mitral valve regurgitation leading to late cyanosis in the child. The town's curmudgeonly doctor, Aurelius Hogue, orders Ben to give the boy a Coca-Cola. Dismissing Hogue's recommendation, Ben calls for a helicopter to transport the boy to a facility in Athens, Georgia, to see a heart specialist. Hogue learns the boy had chewed his father's tobacco and explains the carbonic acid component of the soda would relieve his stomach ache.
The two doctors finally bond when Ben saves Hogue after he suffers a near-fatal heart attack. Since Hogue is champing at the bit to retire, Ben is urged by the locals to stay, and is tempted by his budding romance with a tomboyish ambulance driver, Vialula, better known as "Lou." She is a single mother to four-year old Emma, the product of a relationship she had with a former boyfriend in New York. In the process, Ben confides that he grew up in a small town in rural Indiana, where his parents lived and died, and can't see himself confined to a small town. Ben is pardoned from community service after saving Hogue, and is free to go to California after his car is fixed.
Lou is also pursued by Hank Gordon, a local insurance salesman. One day, Hank waits for Ben at the mayor's lakeside lodge, where Ben has been staying. Ben expects a fight, but Hank explains that though he can't give Lou what Ben can, he's still a better man for her. After the two men talk, Ben comes to realize he's not selfless enough for a life with Lou and plans to not see her anymore. Putting career first, he leaves.
On the west coast, Ben's new boss Dr. Halberstrom hires him at the interview, thanks to an unexpected letter of recommendation from Hogue. But Ben quickly tires of the superficiality of Beverly Hills. He's surprised by the Mayor's daughter Nancy Lee and Hank, who have come to California. Hank tells Ben he took his own advice to "do what a man's gotta do." Ben returns to Grady, hoping to patch things up with Lou, who takes him back.
Cast
- Michael J. Fox as Dr. Benjamin Stone
- Julie Warner as Vialula/"Lou"
- Woody Harrelson as Hank Gordon
- Bridget Fonda as Nancy Lee Nicholson
- Roberts Blossom as Judge Evans
- Barnard Hughes as Dr. Aurelius Hogue
- David Ogden Stiers as Mayor Nick Nicholson
- Frances Sternhagen as Lillian
- George Hamilton as Dr. Halberstrom
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack features the Chesney Hawkes song "The One and Only", which reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Box office and reception
Doc Hollywood debuted at number three in the U.S. box office.
The film was met with positive reviews, with a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews.
Cars plagiarism
The makers of the Disney/Pixar film Cars have been accused of plagiarizing its plot from this film. "Many reviewers also felt that Cars' plot was too indebted to the 1991 Michael J Fox comedy Doc Hollywood, in which a hotshot Los Angeles doctor learns a new set of values when he is stranded in an average American town. 'It just rips off Doc Hollywood, almost note for note,' said Christy Lemire of the San Francisco Chronicle." Critic Simon Kinnear of Total Film concurred, stating "Actually, this one pretty much is just 'Doc Hollywood with cars.'"
References
- Lora E. Ide (January 6, 2009). "Residents recall the fun of filming 'Doc Hollywood'". Ocala.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- "Chesney Hawkes". iTunes. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
- Cerone, Daniel (1991-08-06). "Weekend Box Office : 'Terminator 2' Surrenders Top Spot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Fox, David J. (1991-08-20). "Weekend Box Office : The Summer Doldrums Continue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- Fox, David J. (1991-08-27). "Weekend Box Office : List-Toppers Are Listless". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- "Review/Film; A Hollywood Doctor In American Squashland". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
- "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Doc Hollywood': Southern Exposure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
- "Doc Hollywood". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
- "Doc Hollywood". Rotten Tomatoes/Flixster. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
- "Pixar's Cars stalls with reviewers". The Guardian. June 7, 2006. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- "50 Great Movies Accused Of Being Rip-Offs". Total Film. July 30, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
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External links
| Works directed by Michael Caton-Jones | |
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| Films |
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| Miniseries |
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- 1991 films
- 1990s romantic comedy films
- American romantic comedy films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Michael Caton-Jones
- Films set in Los Angeles, California
- Films set in South Carolina
- Films set in Washington, D.C.
- Films shot in Florida
- Films shot in Los Angeles, California
- Films shot in Virginia
- Warner Bros. films