Do you have health insurance? Do you enjoy good health? If you can answer yes to each question, you are truly blessed. If you answer "no" to each question, you may be headed for problems. I will recap my own family's experience with health care and insurance at the end.

Plot
John Q (Denzel Washington - Training Day) is very fortunate to have a close, loving family. He is under employed and financial problems arise. He and his wife Denise (Kimberly Elise - Beloved) still get along well, with few tensions. John is a good father and they go to church on a regular basis. John is also actively involved in his son's activities. They are basically an ideal family.

Suddenly his son Mike (Daniel E Smith - The Bold and Beautiful) requires MAJOR medical attention. John has health insurance, but that isn't enough. There are major health problems and the hospital won't go that extra mile. What lengths will John go to ensuring his child receives life saving care?

Anne Heche (Wag the Dog) plays the heartless hospital administrator, Rebecca Payne, declaring the hospital's policy on underinsured patients, while James Woods (Riding in Cars with Boys) plays the surgeon, Dr. Turner.

This movie gave me a warm fuzzy feeling for the most part. John Q is basically a good man, desperate to save his son's life. My husband made the comparison between the characters Denzel Washington played in Training Day as the Field Training Officer, and the loving husband in this movie. Clearly he has versatility in acting. John Q's wife, Denise, reminds me very much of one of my co-workers. They could almost be twins. The son, Mike, is very lovable, and does a good job playing the part of a sick boy as well as a regular kid.

There were some very tense moments at the end. I couldn't even stay seated, and had to pace, concerned about the ending.

Filmography
There was a scene in the beginning that was clearly BEAUTIFUL! It looked just like a place I have visited in Washington state. One of the license plates read Montana. Actually most of the outdoor scenes were done in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, Canada. There were some scenes filmed in Chicago.

Unfortunately toward the end, we see cameos from several media personalities including Hillary Clinton, Larry King and Jay Leno. The movie was definitely preachy toward the end, unless you happen to be in favor of National Health Care.

Your Reactions, Please
I ask my readers MumMumMum and The_Gas_Man who live in Canada, their thoughts on National Health Care. I also am curious about health care in Hong Kong and Australia and ask Cripper and Smithwoodside their thoughts. All my readers are encouraged to give their thoughts on this issue.

Holes in Plot?
My husband pointed out there seems to be a few holes in the plot that I'll let the reader figure out. I don't want to give away too much of the movie. He was wondering if the audiences previewed several different endings. They may have forgotten to amend one of the previous scenes to fit the ending.

There are a few swear words and John Q walks around carrying a gun. They show short graphic scenes of an operation in progress. Also, we see folks' reactions to death. I noticed no nudity.

Personal Insurance Experience
As for my own family's experience with health insurance, I have it and it pays for EXTRAVAGANT charges. One charge was $35 for 10 minute's use of a warm blanket. I didn't even get to take the blanket home, darn it! It also pays $235 for salt water on a stick (saline solution IV).

My son fell on hard times. My grandson needed an operation on his ears so he could hear properly, and one for his eyes so he could see properly. Welfare paid for those charges. My grandson is now in good health.

Written by James Kearns II, directed by Nick Cassavetes. Runtime 118 minutes.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening