Doc Hollywood (1991)
65%RT Audience Score: 50%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Doc Hollywood isn’t particularly graceful in its attempt to put a ’90s spin on its Capraesque formula, but a light touch and a charming cast make its flaws easy to forgive
Doc Hollywood” is like a classic rom-com that you can’t help but love, even if it’s a bit cheesy. The chemistry between Fox and Warner is predictable but still enjoyable to watch. It’s a feel-good movie that celebrates the simple pleasures of life, and while it may not be groundbreaking, it’s a fun ride getting there. Plus, who doesn’t love Michael J. Fox playing a charming doctor? It’s like Alex P. Keaton grew up and got a medical degree. Overall, “Doc Hollywood” is a lobotomy-free Frank Capra-esque film that will leave you with a smile on your face.
Production Company(ies)
Macrocosm Entertainment, Citizen Skull Productions, Bond It Media Capital
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Micanopy, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
1991
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2003
Genre(s)
Comedy/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Michael J Fox, Julie Warner, Barnard Hughes, Woody Harrelson, David Ogden Stiers, Frances Sternhagen, Susan Solt, Deborah D Johnson, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, written by Jeffrey Price, Peter S Seaman, Daniel Pyne, genre: comedy, romance, box office performance: $51.8M, budget: N/A, reviewed by Peter Rainer, Eleanor Ringel Cater, Michael H Price, Judy Gerstel, Jay Boyar, Bill Cosford, Roger Moore, Matt Brunson, Bob Ross, Roger Hurlburt, Stephen Carty, Hal Lipper, MPAA rating: PG-13, plastic surgeon, road trip, community service, small town, South Carolina, ambulance driver, Capraesque formula, fish-out-of-water comedy, romantic comedy, heart-warming
Worldwide gross: $54,830,779
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $121,032,974
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 932
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,198,798
US/Canada gross: $54,830,779
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $121,032,974
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 627
US/Canada opening weekend: $7,251,854
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $16,007,678
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 756
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $44,147,822
Production budget ranking: 880
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $23,773,602
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $53,111,550
ROI to date (est.): 78%
ROI ranking: 1,018
Julie Warner – Vialula, “Lou”
Barnard Hughes – Dr. Aurelius Hogue
Woody Harrelson – Hank Gordon
David Ogden Stiers – Mayor Nick Nicholson
Frances Sternhagen – Lillian
Director(s)
Michael Caton-Jones
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Susan Solt, Deborah D. Johnson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (16)
The whole sunny production is like Frank Capra with a lobotomy.
June 24, 2021
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
There’s nothing startling here, nothing flashy, nothing complex. Just the solid, old-fashioned pleasure of watching an expert cast carry out a well-crafted story that celebrates the virtues of life off the fast track.
June 24, 2021
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
Fox and Julie Warner strike a compelling chemistry despite the relationship’s predictability.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 6/10
Michael H. Price
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
TOP CRITIC
It looks like a movie, sounds like a movie, smells like a movie. But is it a movie? Naaah, it’s a sitcom on steroids.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 6/10
Judy Gerstel
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
The rare film that actually improves as it develops. What begins as an all-too-standard fish-out-of-water comedy eventually grows into something more.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The film has a gentle charm that surpasses expectations.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It may have been lightly regarded when it came out, but I think you can make the case that “Doc Hollywood,” a throwback comedy even then, stands the test of time better than most any rom-com of its era.
June 19, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Moore
Movie Nation
Pandering pablum, but not without its charms.
September 18, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
The destination is obvious. Getting there is all the fun.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Bob Ross
Tampa Tribune
Fox is back where he belongs, playing self-effacing comedy and allowing his boyish style to frame a characterization.
June 24, 2021
Roger Hurlburt
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Director Michael Caton-Jones leans much heavier towards the romantic end of the rom-com spectrum rather than out-and-out laughs, but the film remains heart-warming without ever approaching a syrupy corn-fest.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Stephen Carty
Eye for Film
Fox’s character has been accurately described as Alex Keaton with a stethoscope. It’s a role he knows well and can perform with ease. But he’s burdened with a script that has no edge.
June 24, 2021
Hal Lipper
Tampa Bay Times…
Plot
Benjamin Stone is a young doctor driving to L.A., where he is interviewing for a high-paying job as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. He gets off the highway to avoid a traffic jam, but gets lost and ends up crashing into a fence in the small town of Grady. He is sentenced to 32 hours of community service at the local hospital. All he wants is to serve the sentence, get his car fixed and get moving, but gradually the locals become attached to the new doctor, and he falls for the pretty ambulance driver, Lou. Will he leave?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels mentions that Michael J. Fox’s character in Doc Hollywood has been accurately described as “Alex Keaton with a stethoscope.”
Michael-Caton-Jones.jpg
