The movie comes dangerously close to saying that the solution to a personal grievance is, well, terrorism, when you get right down to it.
John Q (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:127
Fresh:28
Rotten:99
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Washington's performance rises above the material, but John Q pounds the audience over the head with its message.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence, language, and some intense thematic elements
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Feb 15, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $71,026,631
Synopsis: John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington) is struggling through a recession trying to provide for his son Mikey (Daniel E. Smith) and his waitress wife (Kimberly Elise). Mikey collapses at a Little... John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington) is struggling through a recession trying to provide for his son Mikey (Daniel E. Smith) and his waitress wife (Kimberly Elise). Mikey collapses at a Little League game and is rushed to a hospital. The situation is bleak. Only a heart transplant will save Mikey's life. John's HMO refuses to cover the expensive surgery. With the hospital and his insurance provider unwilling to help and his wife pleading with John to act, he takes matters into his own hands, holding the hospital's renowned heart surgeon (James Woods) and several others hostage in an emergency care wing until the surgery will be performed. Nick Cassavetes directed this attack on the American health care system. Like his previous feature, SHE'S SO LOVELY, Cassavetes proves adept at mining the political ramifications out of human drama. The film criticizes hospitals and health care providers for working in collusion against the working class. This moving drama is propelled by the intense lead performance by Washington as one man against an unjust system. [More]
Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Anne Heche, James Woods
Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Anne Heche, James Woods, Ray Liotta, Kimberly Elise, Daniel E. Smith, Shawn Hatosy, Eddie Griffin, Kevin Connolly, Troy Winbush
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Screenwriter: James Kearns
Producer: Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: New Line Cinema
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Reviews for John Q
This preachy, painfully obvious man-against-the-system saga has its heart in the right place -- but its brain got left on the operating table.
I dig the message but prefer a better use of Mr. Washington's many talents.
A profoundly bad movie, managing to incorporate every cliché in the hostage-drama genre into its skimpy narrative.
Shameless anti-HMO propaganda...Only Washington's performance salvages a hint of entertainment value.
A film that might have made its points more convincingly if its makers hadn't felt obliged to underline and spell out at length every one of those points.
A sappy, melodramatic Denzel Washington vehicle that ensnares you in the standard hostage-movie scenario and doesn't let go until the director runs the whole playbook.
Washington overcomes the script's flaws and envelops the audience in his character's anguish, anger and frustration.
Latest News for John Q
November 27, 2008:
Wellsphere.com: The Denzel Washington John Q Interview ![]()
More...
March 23, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Inside Man" is Certified Fresh, Second Best-Reviewed Wide Release Of
Tension: it's the key to many a film, and this week's wide releases bring three variants on that theme. We've got a hostage situation ("Inside Man"), class conflict... More...
February 22, 2006:
Cassavetes Working on Fact-Based "Bomb"
Filmmaker Nick Cassavetes will soon get to work on "Bombing Harvey," a fact-based tale of a Hungarian scientist who tried to plant a bomb in a Lake Tahoe casino in an... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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