At first glance, this 1991 comedy looks like another formulaic fluff-piece with a standard fish-out-of-water scenario–in this case a hotshot young doctor (Michael J. Fox) whose cross-country drive to become a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is interrupted when he crashes in the rural hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. But as Fox’s character is urged by the folksy locals to stay–an offer made tempting by his romance with a law student (Julie Warner)–this unassuming little movie j Read more…
April 16th, 2010 on 6:25 am
This review is from: Doc Hollywood (DVD)
I normally cannot watch movies on airplanes for some reason. I first saw “Doc Hollywood” on the grueling Boston-LA flight, and it immediately captured and held my interest for the entire flight. More than anything, that fact illustrates that this is a truly engaging flick. This is a genuinely funny movie. One thing that this movie does is lay to rest any doubts anyone might have had about Michael J. Fox’s acting ability. In my opinion he turns in a stellar performance, albeit supported by fine jobs by the supporting cast. The part where he finally goes to LA is absolutely hysterical, by the way.The story is very simple (no spoilers here). The protagonist (Michael J. Fox) is on his way to a job interview for a position as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. He has an accident in a small Southern town (“Grady”) and is sentenced to several hundred hours of community service. The town needs a doctor, and its real purpose is to recruit him as a permanent resident physician. Naturally, Doc meets a nice girl and now the choice is between money as a big-shot LA plastic surgeon and lifestyle in a nice rural setting. There’s a lot more. I won’t spoil it for you. Doc’s slow assimilation into the town of Grady is wonderfully done. This movie manages to be both touching and funny, and I say this as one who is normally not much for comedy or date flicks.Michael J. Fox shows in this movie that he had the potential to go far, as indeed he did.
April 16th, 2010 on 8:11 am
This review is from: Doc Hollywood (DVD)
This film is the perfect offbeat movie for a lazy summer afternoon. Michael J. Fox and the supporting cast create a sense of place and time where the lowly squash is king (or it queen?). Fox loses his way in the Carolinas as he travels to Lotus Land for a new job as a plastic surgeon. A good movie to remind you what is important in life – pigs, kudzu, and a Porsche Speedster. It is such a lovely little film that the DVD presentation should be a crime. The picture quality is horrible and it is not letterboxed. No trailers, director’s comment (which would have been GREAT), or added features. Just the movie, nothing extra. It appears some distributor’s ten-year-old son was learning to burn a DVD for the first time and was given this as a project. Somebody should be ashamed. It’s like serving a Heineken in a dirty baby bottle. Warner Brothers clearly dropped the ball on this. Loved the movie. Hated the DVD.