Reel critics

Allen MacDonald

I think the impulse to make a movie that explores our nation’s health

care system is a commendable one, but “John Q.” uses this controversial

issue as the core of a messy, fumbled piece of filmmaking. This is

emotionally potent material that has been diluted by a ludicrous plot and

an unending series of events that defy believability. This movie

desperately wants to make you cry, but doesn’t earn a single tear because

you constantly doubt its authenticity.

John (Denzel Washington) and his wife (Kimberly Elise) are the loving

parents of a 10-year-old son, but financially they are barely scraping

by, and this in turn puts a strain on their otherwise successful

marriage.

After their son collapses at a little league game the parents learn

the child’s heart is three times normal size. It is not strong enough to

pump blood. Without a heart transplant, he will die.

The nightmare begins. Since John’s hours have been cut back, he is not

considered a full-time employee and has subsequently been dropped to a

lower tier of medical coverage. His employers failed to even notify him

of the change. John is sucked into a hellish, often cruel HMO maelstrom

of run-arounds and red tape.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Forced into a corner,

John takes the emergency room hostage and demands that his son be placed

on the transplant list or he will begin killing.

From here, the movie unravels quickly, topping itself with

increasingly improbably plot twists.

It’s one thing for the filmmakers to identify with John’s motivations,

it’s another to endorse his actions. And make no mistake, “John Q.” does

exactly that. He’s portrayed as a hero raging against an apathetic

system. But I don’t cheer for heroes who take hostages and threaten

murder. It sends a dangerous message.

Washington, Robert Duvall and Elise give convincing performances, but

it’s not enough.

* ALLEN MacDONALD, 29, is currently working toward his master’s degree

in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.