At first, John Q is touching. It's touching because it has a strong father-son relationship story. Then, it's almost cynical. But why, oh why, did it have to turn into a commentary about health care? I just can't understand.
Denzel Washington stars as John Q. Archibald, who's son, Mike, collapses during a little-league game and is rushed to the hospital. There, John and his wife learn that their son will need a heart transplant, or he won't survive the next couple of weeks. The problem is, John can't afford the operation, and he doesn't have health insurance. As a result, he goes to drastic measures to save his son, when he holds up the hospital with a gun and demands his son get the new heart.
I was really looking forward to watching John Q. Despite the fact it was panned by critics, I put the DVD in anyway and started to watch. The father-son relationship story is strong and persistant; Washington's performance is strong and firm. Unfortunately, I could only watch in horror when I realized that this wasn't being used as a movie about a family trying to stay together—I realized it was a movie all about healtch care, and the entire movie ended up being one big commentary on that topic.
Before I go further into that, I'll just want to make a few comments on the acting. Washington gives a very impressive performance. He elevates the movie in a way. Robert Duvall is police Lieutenant Frank Grimes, while Ray Liotta is Chicago Police Chief Gus Monroe. Kimberly Elise plays Elise, John's wife.
This could have been a darn good movie. The problem is that John Q is quite overlly preachy, and is one big social commentary. As a result, it sure ain't anything of what it had potential to be. I learned two things watching this: the first is that there are parents in America who will do anything to save their child. The other is that we need to spend a lot of money on health care for people who don't have it. The third act of the film pounds this into the audience.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that John Q could have been such a better film had it not been for the message that it's relentlessly trying to push out. Washington gave a very accomplished performance—he alone barelly saved John Q.
***/5
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