So Bad it’s Good
#4 : Doc Hollywood (1991)

Guilty Pleasures that we enjoyed – even though we don’t quite know why.

Movie Title : Doc Hollywood
Released 1991
Starring Michael J.Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson, Barnard Hughes, Roberts Blossom, David Ogden Stiers, Frances Sternhagen, Bridget Fonda
Directed By Michael Caton-Jones

What is it? A film that both Michael J.Fox (then fresh from the success of “Back to the Future II” and “Back to the Future III”) and director Michael Caton-Jones (fresh from the success of the critically-acclaimed drama “Scandal”) wish their agents hadn’t talked them into. It made about as much money as an untalented mouth-organ player on a quiet Los Angeles street – and did about as much for Fox and Caton-Jones’s career as such a profession would. The film starred Fox as Ben Stone (hey, not only is that the name of my boss – but it’s the name of Seth Rogen’s character in “Knocked Up”), a wealthy plastic surgeon who snags a job in Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, on his way to Los Angeles, he has a car accident and lands up in the town of Grady, South Carolina, Squash Capitol of the South, fronting court. He’s ordered to work as their local doctor for a spell – which he couldn’t be any less pleased about. Naturally, things work out beautifully for him – especially when he spots a woman (Julie Warner) rising naked from the lake. H-E-L-L-O!

What’s wrong with it? Its not epic, and if you aren’t a Michael J.Fox fan (I am, so much so that I’ve seen “The Secret of My Success” about twenty times and shipped the soundtrack to it from the states), you’ll probably be as bored as batshit. You’ve seen it all before – schmuck gets a wake-up call and ends up as happy as Larry by film’s end; learning along the way that money doesn’t make you happy – and there’s nothing really new here. Still, it’s juiced up with charm and fun… and as I said, Fox fans will find it hard to resist.

What’s right about it? Fox. He’s his typically charming and earnestly likable self again here. He’s a little bit more of a smart ass than usual – think Alex Keaton by way of the egotistical actor he played in “The Hard Way”, which was released around the same time as this – but its archetypical Michael. He also sparkles with Julie Warner. From the outset, they wouldn’t seem like a natural fit – but they don’t just make it work, they’re believable. And though Jeffrey price, Peter S.Seaman and Daniel Pyne’s screenplay isn’t exactly a laugh riot, it isn’t exactly stale either – there’s some unique elements; largely the eccentric and singular township that the film is based in. And who can forget the movie’s theme song – yes, I imported that in too – by Chesney Hawkes? ‘The One and Only.

Why is it so bad it’s good? Like most Michael J.Fox films, he can take what’s generally a pretty bland or well-tread script and bring it to life. This one isn’t “Back to the Future”, it’s not even “The Frighteners”, but it’s definitely one of the actor’s brighter moments from the early 90s.

- CLINT MORRIS

Previous "So Bad It's Good" Entries
Kickboxer II : The Road Back
Highlander III : The Final Dimension
Blown Away