I have enjoyed several rather simple and predictable movies because they have been well done and featured interesting characters. Doc Hollywood is one of those movies.
Dr. Benjamin Stone had been working in a busy hospital. He was driving across country to Beverly Hills for an interview with Dr. Halberstorm, a prominent plastic surgeon. Ben ended up taking a detour through some back country roads because of traffic and road construction. While going through the small town of Grady, Ben lost control of his car and destroyed a fence. The judge, who just happened to be the owner of the property that Ben damaged, sentenced him to do community service in town. Ben was not happy, but he couldn’t get out of it and was forced to work with the town’s older, grumpy doctor, Dr. Hogue.
Nurse Packer insisted on clocking Ben in and out every time he entered or left the office. Nick, the mayor, liked Ben and kept trying to pull him into activities in the town. Ben was attracted to Vialula, or Lou, the ambulance driver. She had been burned in a relationship with a man from a bigger city before, so she was trying to keep Ben at a distance. Nancy Lee, Nick’s daughter, kept hanging around Ben because she was hoping he would take her to Hollywood. Ben started to see the appeal of Grady and the people as he dealt with patients.
There wasn’t anything complicated about the plot of Doc Hollywood. It was mostly focused on how Ben dealt with being stuck in Grady. He was out of his element when he first arrived, and many things done there, including some ways that Dr. Hogue handled patients, were very strange to Ben. Having someone end up in a place where they were out of place wasn’t anything new when this movie came out and it has been done in more movies since then as well. The way Ben got stuck in Grady was a bit different and did help to make things entertaining. That aspect of the plot has turned up in newer movies as well, most notably the 2006 animated movie Cars.
Doc Hollywood is considered a romantic comedy. Most of the humor was provided by Ben trying to adjust to being in Grady. During a few scenes he was shown dealing with patients, and some of those exchanges were very funny. One couple would go see him to get letters from a relative read and those letters were extremely entertaining and funny. Certain things done to add humor were a little silly, but I thought they worked for the movie. There were a few serious moments here and there that didn’t make the movie serious overall. This isn’t a movie that is meant to be taken seriously. It is one to be watched just for fun and entertainment.
The growing relationship between Ben and Lou provided the romance aspect for Doc Hollywood. They met once Ben arrived in Grady and he was attracted to her. Part of the reason for his instant attraction might be that she was naked when he first saw her. Lou had a bad experience with a former boyfriend who had been from a bigger city, so she was trying to stay away from Ben. She was drawn to him and they ended up spending more time together. The relationship was further complicated by the fact that Nancy Lee was chasing after Ben and Hank, the local insurance salesman, considered himself and Lou involved. The romance worked very well with the rest of the plot. There weren’t any sex scenes, and the movie was rated PG even though Lou’s bare breasts were shown at one point.
Ben was tired of working such long hours but not getting paid the big bucks at the hospital he was working at. He decided to grab the opportunity for an interview in Beverly Hills at Dr. Halberstorm’s plastic surgery clinic. Ben was not happy about being stuck in Grady and he was very focused on getting out of what he considered a hick town for his interview. He did want to help people and was a nice guy. Michael J. Fox handled the part well and made Ben a believable character.
Most of the characters were people in Grady, with many of them not being shown enough to be that developed. Vialula was content with her life in Grady after having things fall apart in a bigger city. She was a very kind woman who was protective of her town. Julie Warner was good in the part. Dr. Hogue had been the doctor in Grady for years and he cared about the people. He was very protective of his patients, and felt that Ben didn’t know how to be a real doctor. Hogue did seem to be very grumpy at times. Nurse Packer, the only nurse, was always there to clock Ben in and out no matter when he got to the office or left. She said very little.
Nick, the mayor, was a nice guy who could be a bit silly at times. I did like David Ogden Stiers in the part. Nancy Lee hated Grady and had dreams of getting out. She saw Ben as her ticket to California and kept chasing after him when she could even though he didn’t encourage her. Bridget Fonda really didn’t have a lot to do with the part. Hank was the insurance salesman who was always bringing up his business. He was convinced that he and Lou were involved. I think this was one of Woody Harrelson’s earlier movie roles. George Hamilton turned up in one or two scenes as Dr. Halberstorm.
Main Cast
Bridget Fonda - Nancy Lee Michael J. Fox - Ben Stone George Hamilton - Dr. Halberstorm Woody Harrelson - Hank Barnard Hughes - Dr. Hogue David Ogden Stiers - Nick Julie Warner - Vialula/Lou
Michael Canton-Jones - Director
I first saw Doc Hollywood in the theater back in 1991. I have seen it several more times since then when it has turned up on different television stations that I get. Depending on which channel it is on, certain things are edited out. I recently saw the movie again on one of my HBO channels. I think the movie is available on DVD, but I have no idea if there would be any extras included or not.
Doc Hollywood isn’t the most original movie, but it managed to be very fun and entertaining. It is a good choice when people are in the mood for something fun to watch for a few hours. Fans of the cast will probably enjoy it.
DVDS. A big city doctor is stranded in a small rural town, where he finds love, professional challenges, and a pet pig, in this comedy. Fresh out of r...More at DeepDiscount.com
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