John Q

	Sign In Sign-Up

John Q

John Q:

Right to the story: Michael Archibald (Daniel E. Smith) has a life-threatening heart condition which requires a transplant procedure or else he will die. His father, John Archibald (Denzel Washington) does not have enough insurance to cover the cost of the procedure. After getting the bureaucratic run-around from the hospital, insurance companies, and financial aid offices, John must do whatever it takes to get his son the proper treatment. In order to do so, he takes control of the hospital emergency room and holds several people hostage. His demands are that his son get the heart transplant that he desperately needs. In this movie, the filmmakers tried out some social commentary that is just a bit too "on the nose" for my taste. They felt the need to spell out the evils of HMO's as if the audience were a bunch of school children. The moments were actually awkward when the characters would go into their little speeches as if this were some sort of political rally instead of a movie. I was looking forward to seeing a movie, not listening to a lecture on how 50 million Americans don't have health insurance (even if it is an election year). The movie-makers should try to be a little more tactful next time.

-Tso