Patch Adams

Synopsis: Patch Adams is determined to become a medical doctor because he enjoys helping people. Unfortunately, the medical and scientific community does not appreciate his methods of healing the sick, while the actual patients, medical professors, and hospital nurses all appreciate the work *he* can do, because they are unable to do it.
Director(s): Tom Shadyac
Production: Universal Studios
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.7
Metacritic:
25
Rotten Tomatoes:
23%
PG-13
Year:
1998
115 min
Website
6,043 Views


[ Man ]

All of life is a coming home.

Salesmen, secretaries, coal miners,

beekeepers, sword swallowers--

all of us.

All the restless hearts

of the world...

all trying

to find a way home.

It's hard to describe

what I felt like then.

Picture yourself walking

for days in a driving snow.

You don't even know

you're walking in circles--

the heaviness of your legs

in the drifts;

your shouts

disappearing into the wind.

How small you can feel.

How far away home can be.

Home.

The dictionary defines it

as both a place of origin...

and a goal or destination.

And the storm ?

The storm was all in my mind.

Or, as the poet Dante put it...

"In the middle of the journey of my life

I found myself in a dark wood...

for I had lost

the right path."

Eventually I would find

the right path...

but in the most unlikely place.

How many fingers

do you see ?

You crazy--

Stop sneakin' up on me like that.

How many ?

- Four.

- Four ?

Four ?

[ Grumbles ]

Another idiot.

You gon' love it here.

Got a new one, Jane.

Hunter Adams.

Self-committed. Suicidal.

Slate him with Dr. Prack.

[ Jane ]

All right.

Hey, Rudy !

What's the word, my man ?

He ain't left that bed in three weeks.

He won't give you any trouble.

He needs another bedpan. They're in

the closet. Wake-up is 7:00 a.m.

Excuse me.

Is there any way

I could have my own room ?

Oh, absolutely.

Just call the concierge and ask

for a suite overlooking the fountain.

No, l-l prefer

the cabana room.

- [ Snickers ]

- Get some sleep.

[ Door Locks ]

Hi.

Hi.

You're, um...

you're a lot... fuzzier

than my last roommate.

Oh. Yeah.

Keeps me warm.

Aaaah !

[ Continues Screaming ]

- What's wrong ?

- Get 'em away !

- Get what away ?

- Get 'em-- Get 'em away !

- Okay, I'm gonna have to--

- You traitor !

You brought 'em with you

when you opened the door !

- Who ?

- [ Whimpering ]

[ Screaming Continues ]

We need help in here !

Somebody !

[ Screaming, Shouting ]

- All right.

- No ! No ! No !

They'll get me ! Don't take me down !

They'll get me ! No !

Don't let the squirrels get me !

Please !

Don't let the squirrels get me !

- [ Serum Injecting ]

- Aaah ! [ Sobbing ]

That was a squirrel bite !

[ Whimpering ]

[ Whispers ]

Squirrels.

[ Adams ]

My father died when I was nine.

He was in the army.

He wasn't home very much.

Two weeks before he died...

he told me that

in the Korean War...

it felt like

he'd lost his soul.

All this time

I thought it was me.

I moved seven times

in the last year.

I've, uh, had several jobs.

Nothing seemed to fit.

I don't seem to fit.

And when your father died,

how did that make you feel ?

I don't know.

I was nine.

It was like there was

this distinction, suddenly...

between you

and the rest of the world.

I looked around me.

Life went on

just like it did before.

But it wasn't

like it was before.

My uncle helped.

He would visit.

He at least listened.

And I thought...

if I could light my own farts I could

fly to the moon, or at least Uranus.

But if I couldn't do that at least

I could use my penis as a pogo stick...

and that might be a way

of getting around.

I'm sorry ?

Yes, that's good.

Mm-hmm.

Well, I think you're making

fine progress, Hunter.

We'll talk later in group.

Thank you.

[ Patients Muttering,

Whimpering ]

Four. Four ? Four !

Ohh ! Four ! Ohh !

You are all insane !

Insane ! Four !

Arthur Mendelson.

The Arthur Mendelson ?

Brand Beaton Industries.

Guy was one of the most

innovative minds of our time.

Look at him now.

He can't even count the windows.

[ Mutters ]

God. What happened to him ?

Why is he here ?

Self-committed. Genius syndrome.

Howard Hughes-type sh*t.

Constantly digging into the

creative potential of the human mind.

[ Muttering Continues ]

I guess he dug too deep.

[ Mendelson Chuckles ]

This is real wood.

Rowff !

[ Continues Muttering ]

[ Humming ]

W-Why are we meeting in here ?

It's cramped.

Well, Everton, we're meeting in here

so that Rudy can participate.

- It's cramped.

- Does anyone else

have a thought on that ?

- Cramped !

- I think he has a question.

[ Patients Laughing ]

Do you find that funny, Hunter,

making fun of a man's infirmity ?

Maybe he does have a question.

He's alive.

- He's catatonic.

- Well, he still has a brain.

- Maybe he wants to participate too.

- [ Rudy ] Yeah.

Maybe he has a question.

Yeah, maybe.

Maybe he knows why we're cramped !

[ Laughing ]

[ Laughing Continues ]

Maybe Beany knows a lot more

than we give him credit for.

Excuse me. Beany ?

Which way is heaven ?

- [ Loud Laughter ]

- That's correct !

That'll be enough, Hunter.

Beany, how much taller

is Wilt Chamberlain than you ?

- Right.

- [ Laughter Continues ]

Hey, Beany ! Beany !

Where's the ceiling ?

- [ Laughter Continues ]

- That's enough. Stop it.

Where do the birds fly, Beany ?

How do you say hello to Hitler ?

Beany, how does Hitler say hello ?

[ Adams ] How do you check

an elephant for a hernia ?

Who would win a staring contest ?

Beany !

Who-- Who farted ?

Beany !

- Who likes to masturbate ?

- [ All ] Yea !

- [ Laughter, Shouting ]

- I do ! I do !

[ Adams ] Hey, Beany, how does an

one-armed referee say "field goal" ?

[ Everton ]

Ha ha ! Hey, Beany !

Ciao, Beany !

Arigato, Beany !

[ Rudy ]

Bye, Beany.

It was a really good session,

I thought.

[ Adams ]

May I come in ?

If you bend your medial

collateral ligaments...

and place one talus

in front of another...

I don't see where

you'd have a problem.

Of course, if there were a news story

covering this event...

the headline might read:

"Small Brain Enters Room."

The fingers.

What's the answer ?

Oh, you're another one of

those bright young fellows...

who always know the right answer,

is that it ?

Welcome to real life.

How many do you see ?

- There are four fingers, Arthur.

- No, no, no. Look at me.

What ?

Y-You're focusing

on the problem.

If you focus on the problem,

you can't see the solution.

Never focus on the problem.

Look at me !

How many do you see ?

No, look beyond the fingers.

How many do you see ?

Eight.

Eight. Eight.

Yes ! Yes !

Eight's a good answer.

Yes.

See what no one else sees.

See what everyone else

chooses not to see...

out of fear

and conformity and laziness.

See the whole world anew

each day.

Ah, the truth is,

you're well on the way.

If you didn't

see something here...

besides a crazy,

bitter old man...

you wouldn't have come

in the first place.

What do you see

when you look at me, Arthur ?

You fixed my cup.

I'll see you around...

Patch.

[ Squeaking ]

- [ Squeaking Continues ]

- Rudy, stop.

You're throwing off

my rhythm.

You'll go blind.

- Please.

- I have to go to the bathroom.

Then go. It's right over there,

- I would, but--

- But what ? The squirrels ?

- How many ?

- There's only one just now.

You can't go to the bathroom

because of one squirrel ?

If I get off the bed,

he'll get the others.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes

Steve Oedekerk

All Steve Oedekerk scripts | Steve Oedekerk Scripts

7 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Patch Adams" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/patch_adams_15661>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    Patch Adams

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.


    Quiz

    Are you a screenwriting master?

    »
    What is the purpose of a "beat sheet" in screenwriting?
    A To describe the setting in detail
    B To provide camera directions
    C To write character dialogues
    D To outline major plot points