The film’s turning point is tragic. After Patch founds the Gesundheit Institute (a free, humor-based clinic), Carin visits a disturbed patient named Larry (Dougherty) whom Patch had previously helped. Larry, unstable, kills Carin in a moment of psychotic rage. Devastated and questioning his entire philosophy, Patch retreats into despair. He nearly abandons medicine, until a vision of Carin reminds him of the joy and connection they shared. He returns to the medical board hearing, where he defends his methods with a powerful speech: “You treat a disease, you win or lose. You treat a person, you win, no matter the outcome.”
Why did critics hate it?
But is it an important film? Absolutely. patch adams 1998