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John Q

Play trailer Poster for John Q PG-13 Released Feb 15, 2002 1h 58m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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26% Tomatometer 133 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Story centers on a man whose nine-year-old son is in desperate need of a life-saving transplant. When he discovers that his medical insurance won't cover the costs of the surgery and alternative government aid is unavailable, John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington) takes a hospital emergency room hostage in a last-ditch attempt to save his child.
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John Q

John Q

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Critics Consensus

Washington's performance rises above the material, but John Q pounds the audience over the head with its message.

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Critics Reviews

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Empire Magazine Rated: 2/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune A polemic in search of a plot. Rated: 2/4 Nov 6, 2002 Full Review Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films "What John does is heroic, but we don't condone it," one of the film's stars recently said, a tortuous comment that perfectly illustrates the picture's moral schizophrenia. Rated: D- May 9, 2002 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...Washington offers up a consistently spellbinding turn that goes a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s bumps and lulls... Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 3, 2024 Full Review Justin Brown Medium Popcorn I liked this movie but some of the performances like Eddie Griffin threw the tone off a bit. But all in all, Denzel does such a great job in this film and does everything he can to carry it to the finish line. Rated: 3/5 Nov 20, 2022 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn Denzel carries this movie on his back, which saves the movie from fully drowning. It should've been a great Denzel movie but because of its flaws, it is just "ok". Rated: 3/5 Nov 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Gage H A great movie about a boy who might live or die and what a performance by Denzel Washington Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/28/25 Full Review Drew F Great movie! Denzel in his prime. Movie will pull at your heart strings. No pun intended. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/19/25 Full Review Amaliya H Heart wrenching, couldn’t stop sobbing, one of my favourite movies Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/21/25 Full Review Rose C Absolutely ridiculous plot and a waste of some good actors with unrealistic script and ham overacting. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/24/25 Full Review Audience Member I can’t watch this movie again because it breaks my heart. But I love Denzel Washington period, let alone in this movie which is heart wrenching and beautiful. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/22/25 Full Review Audience Member I guess they spent all the money on hiring stars, because they certainly didn't have much left for script or production. Dreadful Ham performances from all, cheesey story, dreary slow pace, terrible camera work, looks like low budget soap. Possibly the worst movie I've seen in a long time. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/13/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Nick Cassavetes

Director

Denzel Washington

John Q. Archibald

Robert Duvall

Grimes

James Woods

Dr. Turner

Anne Heche

Rebecca Payne

Eddie Griffin

Lester

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John Q

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John Q

(l to r): Robert Duvall and Ray Liotta star in New Line Cinema's John Q. Denzel Washington stars in New Line Cinema's John Q. (l to r): Kimberly Elise, Daniel E. Smith and Denzel Washington star in New Line Cinema's John Q. Denzel Washington stars in New Line Cinema's John Q. Director Nick Cassavetes on the set of New Line Cinema's John Q. (l to r): Denzel Washington and Robert Duvall star in New Line Cinema's John Q. (left to right) Denzel Washington, Daniel E. Smith and Kimberly Elise star in New Line Cinema's John Q. James Woods (left) and Denzel Washington star in New Line Cinema's action-thriller, JOHN Q. (left to right) Ray Liotta, Anne Heche and Robert Duvall star in New Line Cinema's John Q. Ray Liotta stars in New Line Cinema's John Q. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Story centers on a man whose nine-year-old son is in desperate need of a life-saving transplant. When he discovers that his medical insurance won't cover the costs of the surgery and alternative government aid is unavailable, John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington) takes a hospital emergency room hostage in a last-ditch attempt to save his child.
Director
Nick Cassavetes
Producer
Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Screenwriter
James Kearns
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
Evolution Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Intense Thematic Elements|Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 15, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 15, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$71.0M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, SDDS, DTS-ES, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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