John Q

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John Q

PG-13

Released Feb 15, 2002

1h 58m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

134 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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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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Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Dec 30, 2006

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

A polemic in search of a plot.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 6, 2002

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Fabrícia F

Uma lição sobre entrega, coragem e muita empatia. O retrato de um pai disposto a dar tudo de si para salvar seu filho lutando contra um sistema de saúde desumano. Denzel Washington é John Archibald e nesta obra prima nos brinda com uma performance comovente e convincente.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

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caleb b

One of my absolute favorite performances from Denzel! I don’t know what the critics have been smoking but I would say this is in my top 20 favorite movies of all time!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

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Jaiden W

26% Really? This movie was a 10/10 for me. Incredible acting. Emotional Scenes. Badass Scenes. Great Message. Plus Top Tier Story Telling.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/13/24

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Girth W

The cast of this movie is wild let's review Denzel Robert Duvall Ray Liotta Ann Heche E from Entourage That guy from south land Eddie Griffin Randy from my name is earl And James Woods This is an extremely underrated movie if you haven't watched it rent it. Even if you think the plots dumb it's a very entertaining film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

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A.L.Jude P

When denzel get involved it ought to be sky high. Great piece of art.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/03/23

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Nisha Y

This has a great premise, forward thinking elements for its time and a good cast. There were some scenes that seemed rushed, phoned-in and a waste of the talent. Those few elements let down the whole film which had it been tighter would have been a really good one.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/29/23

Full Review

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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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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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