Doc Hollywood Review

Doc Hollywood
When a car crash lands would be high-flying Hollywood Doc "Hollywood" Stone with community service in a small town, his finds his values starting to change...

by Lloyd Bradley |
Published on
Release Date:

01 Jan 1991

Running Time:

104 minutes

Certificate:

PG

Original Title:

Doc Hollywood

This is a straightforward tale: the slick young Dr Stone (Fox) is driving across America to an outrageously well-paid post as a Los Angeles cosmetic surgeon, forced to spend a few days in a tiny town in Georgia he succumbs to its rural charms (Warner as the sexy-but-wholesome Lou) and decides a life of ease and plenty isn’t for him.

The storyline is both over-obvious and highly unlikely from the moment Stone claps eyes on Lou — with no twists, surprises or secondary plots.

But most disappointing of all is the desire for simplicity resulting in the “comedy” losing out badly to the “romantic”. In spite of a few neat running gags — a pig, a belligerent nurse and a soap opera style episodic letter — the laff level is far below par.

Fox has made his name playing a clever blend of high farce and lowdown cynicism, yet the edge he could be relied on to cut through any mush with is almost completely missing. Likewise the possibilities for extraneous lunacy by supporting characters is woefully underused (notably Woody Harrelson as a super-macho insurance salesman).

While this combination of Michael J. Fox, light comedy and uncomplicated values must’ve looked fine on paper, on screen it doesn’t quite make the grade.
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