Doc Hollywood (1991) Reviews

• I have to laugh!

  Thubanstar2004-12-08

  I have to laugh at all the comments on this board which say this movie's plot or the characters are not "plausible". I live near the town this movie was shot in, (I was an extra for one day, and a "stand in" for two days on this film. It was neat!) and believe me, the characters are not only believable, you can meet versions of them in small towns all through the south. There is a big difference between city and deep country life. Maybe people in very urban areas and countries tend to forget that. Quite honestly, I know several people down here in the boonies who make the folk of "Grady" look downright sophisticated. That criticism shot down, I just have to say it's a really sweet film. It has a lot of atmosphere and some good character development, even in the minor roles. It portrays small, small town America pretty accurately and with a great deal of charm.

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• Michael J. Fox Country Charmer!

  cariart2003-10-27

  When future film critics decide to analyze the career of Michael J. Fox, they will likely say his talents were best suited to television, with an acknowledgement that he did star in the BACK TO THE FUTURE series. This will be a shame, as Fox has been an ingratiating, very enjoyable actor to watch, in most of his films, and DOC HOLLYWOOD is one of his best roles. As breezy, fast-talking Washington, D.C. surgeon Dr. Ben Stone, who dreams of making big money doing plastic surgery in Hollywood, but finds his true calling as a general practitioner in a small southern hamlet, Fox is so 'right' that you can't imagine any other actor in the role. After a minor traffic accident enroute to California forces him to do 'public service' in fictional Grady, South Carolina, taking on much of the workload of a crusty old local physician (the always enjoyable Barnard Hughes), Stone becomes the 'talk' of the town, and rustic but wise Mayor Nick Nicholson (David Ogden Stiers, in one of his most engaging performances), starts 'selling' the joys of country life to the cosmopolitan young doctor. A quilt with 'magical' powers provides a nude vision of the girl he's destined to love, 'Lou' (Julie Warner), who turns out to be working at his office; his hormone-fueled pursuit of her, and her pragmatic 'indifference' to his flirtations make their gradual romance edgy and fun to watch. In a town full of colorful characters, two 'stars in the making' stand out; Woody Harrelson, as 'Lou's' suitor, Hank Gordon, a country variation of his bartending character from 'Cheers', talks dumb but has a knack for selling, only lacking a place to make big money at it; and Bridget Fonda, as Mayor Nicholson's oversexed but 'out of place' daughter, hopes Stone will take her away to the bright lights of Hollywood. Both stars are terrific in their supporting roles, and show the charisma that would lead them to stardom. DOC HOLLYWOOD is full of charming vignettes, from Stone vicariously reading the mail for an illiterate farm couple, to being paid for services rendered with a rather large pig, who ultimately becomes his 'pet'. The film abounds in warm comic touches that are guaranteed to bring a smile! With a very funny cameo by George Hamilton, as the Hollywood plastic surgeon Stone dreams of working with, DOC HOLLYWOOD hits all the right notes for a terrific entertainment. My only complaint about the film is that it was actually filmed in Florida; as a South Carolina resident, I can attest that MANY of our small towns could have doubled quite nicely for Grady... DOC HOLLYWOOD is a film I'm proud to have in my collection!

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• a gem of a movie

  saimahuq2003-01-02

  I didn't like Doc Hollywood the first time I saw it in 1991 --- then I watched it again a few years ago and was blown away by the writing, acting and all-around sweet nature of the film. Dr. Ben Stone is leaving DC for a job doing plastic surgery for celebs in LA when he runs into a picket fence in a small Southern town and has to do 3 days of community service at their clinic as penance. His fancy sports car is totaled anyway and he has to get it fixed. Miffed at being waylaid in such a hokey place, he tries to get through the next few days in time for his new job. He meets a wide cast of characters -- and to their credit, not everyone in a small town is so gosh-friendly. Some are mean, some are troubled, some are nice -- like any other array of people. Ben meets Lou, a single mother who drives the ambulance, as well as Nancy Lee Nicholson, a confused beauty who wants him to take her to LA. This movie is great because it is about many people deciding for themselves how they want to live -- whether in a big city or in a small town -- and why they value what they do. It is also about an epiphany for Ben Stone and changing of his ways internally.

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• The end of an era

  RNMorton2003-05-24

  Few stars can claim as good a comic feature-film run as Michael J. From 1984 to 1991 he went with nary a dud (unless you count BTTF II). This film is pretty much the last in that streak. Michael plays a hotshot med school grad who wrecks a fence and his car on his way to a high-paying LA plastic surgery gig. Small town Southern judge holds Fox hostage and orders him to work off the damage by helping out the local doc, well-played by Hughes. Some of the rural stuff is laid on a bit too thick (and exactly WHERE is this town on the route to LA?) but the film is otherwise cute and enjoyable. Warner is rock solid as always and properly intriguing as the obligatory love interest.

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• Exceptional

  yrok2003-06-11

  Hard to imagine that this film is rated under a 6.0 on imdb. I would place it easily among the top 50 comedies of all time. Michael J. Fox plays a hard charging Dr. Ben Stone, with David Ogden Stiers giving a world class performance as the small town mayor that needs a new doctor, and also knows a thing or two about happiness. And then there is Nurse Packer who believes in procedure and punchcards, Julie Warner providing a memorable 'swimming' performance, fishing without hooks, the squash festival, a great rendition of Patsy Cline's "Crazy", and of course, the Pakistani. Way underrated movie that stands up over time. 9 out of 10

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