PATCH ADAMS

MARC SHAIMAN

Rating:

Original Review: Marc Shaiman is one of the best tear-jerkers working in Hollywood today. While some film music purists may sometimes dismiss his musical efforts as nothing more than manipulative wallpaper, Shaiman nevertheless has written some of the most memorable and attractive themes of the past few years, including City Slickers, The American President, The First Wives Club and In & Out. Patch Adams is another such score. Although it is mostly built around a single central theme, it bursts forth from the speakers with such passion and good nature that it simply fills the room when it plays, and when it's finished playing you want to play it all over again. It's an appropriately cheerful and emotional score, especially considering the subject matter of the movie itself. In it, Robin Williams plays Hunter "Patch" Adams - an unconventional medical student who clashes with the near-sighted hospital administrators when he begins to advocate the use of comedy as a treatment for the terminally ill children in his care. With his penchant for incredibly loud shirts and shiny red noses, Patch never says that laughter will ever cure his patients, but firmly believes in the power of a smile to raise the spirits and add to the quality of life of everyone around him - however long, or short, those lives may be. Although preceded by nine throwaway rock 'n roll songs, some of which are admittedly quite good (especially the opening two - Rod Stewart's ballad 'Faith of the Heart' and Eric Clapton's 'Let It Rain'), it is Shaiman's score which lingers in the memory the longest. In a way, Patch Adams picks up where The American President left off in that the dominant main theme is the best thing about the score. The whole thing is fully orchestral, as usual, and has that professional, polished sheen that Shaiman's works always seem to have. The 'Main Title' begins almost lullaby-like, with a dreamy, comforting sound that draws the listener in and provides a musical sense of warmth and comfort. The first performance of the central theme is heard here - a sublime piano solo with subtle accompaniment by strings, a harp and chimes, which then develops into a lovely woodwind recapitulation, first on oboe, then on flute. Parts of Patch Adams occasionally remind me of Alan Silvestri's lyrical piano opening from Forrest Gump, and fans of that work are likely to find this score much to their taste. But the similarities are only in tone and style: the melody, the talent, and the credit is 100% Shaiman's. The score proceeds in generally the same vein thereafter, with strings, pianos and woodwinds dominating the lead performances. In cues such as 'Hello', Shaiman ups the tempo a little with the addition of some upbeat, contemporary piano melodies adding a little bit of urban life, while several other times during the course of the nine tracks, he allows his orchestra to rise and perform a spine-tingling crescendo. However, the coup-de-graces are most certainly 'Butterfly/Noodle Pool' and 'The Ruling/Graduation', two cues which equal and, at times, exceed the liberating emotional high of The American President. Like in that excellent score, Shaiman introduces a sparkling brass countermelody to the main theme, lending it a touch of grandeur and style. The emotional wallop of these cues ends the score on a wonderfully upbeat note. Depending on your feelings about film music of this type, Patch Adams will either completely enchant you or have you reaching for the proverbial sick-bag. To be sure, this score is one with the express intent of manipulating every single emotional bone in the listener's body. Personally, I adore scores of this type - scores in which you can wallow in buckets full of sentiment. It seems that the Academy members feel the same way, because it has earned Shaiman his third Oscar nomination. Although victory is unlikely, it would be wonderful to see him walk away with the statuette.

Track Listing: Running Time: 57 minutes 30 seconds

Universal UND-53245 (1998)

Music composed by Marc Shaiman. Conducted by Pete Anthony. Orchestrations by Jeff Atmajian, Frank Bennett, Patrick Russ, Pete Anthony and Jon Kull. Recorded and mixed by Dennis Sands. Edited by J. J. George. Album produced by Marc Shaiman.


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