John Q. (2002)

PORTRAITS OF THE ARTISTS (AKA DENZEL MONTH) has been a hell of a time and it’s been fun to examine the lives of such cornerstone actors in Paul Robeson and Denzel Washington. Those two men seem very different in personality but for this final edition of our theme, Denzel takes on a role that might be the closest to Robeson’s preferred type. A struggling, hardworking, family man trying to make ends meet in a medical emergency. It was a hit during a time when random dramas seemed to be seen, though not much of it gets said even in context of the Denzel oeuvre and broader film culture. A very direct critique of the U.S. medical system in Nick Cassavetes’s absolutely dripping melodrama from 2002, “JOHN Q.”. Denzel is the obvious everyman who successfully holds his own dramatic weight. It also stars Kimberly Elise, James Woods, Anne Heche (RIP), Robert Duvall and Ray Fuckin’ Liotta. We miss you Ray. The people finally get a little propaganda in this far from perfect story that occasionally brushes up against “ridiculous”. Charming family dynamic with a few good dramatic moments and maybe a little misdirected in its cleanliness through the home stretch. Nonetheless, we can all relate to dealing with our shitty medical system. So long January’s theme.

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