Dan and Nancy: Now Playing
The Broomfield Enterprise, Broomfield, CO

Denzel Washington stars as a father whose son needs a transplant they cannot afford. Money raising efforts fall short and he is forced to take extreme measures to assure that his son will get his transplant. Also starring Robert Duvall
("Apocalypse Now"), James Woods ("Any Given Sunday"), Anne Heche ("Six Days, Seven Nights"), and Ray Liotta ("Blow"). Rated PG-13 for mild violence and maybe a bad word. Time away from Olympic conspiracies: 118 minutes.

Nancy's Take: How far will a father go to save his son? "John Q" will make you cry, laugh, and even question how far is too far. Denzel was perfect for this movie. His acting capabilities far exceed most actors and he really makes you feel that you are in his shoes. Granted his shoe size is much bigger than mine, however you feel the same pain he is going through.
I don't think anyone can say how they are going to react when something bad happens in their life The way I see it, unless you are put in that situation and actually live it, there is no way to know. Some people my say that what Denzel's character did was unlikely, unethical or even heroic, but how can anyone know what they would do until it happens to you.
Some parts of this movie seemed a bit far-fetched, but the overall story had a purpose. A lot of Americans either don't have health insurance or what they have won't cover certain procedures, so John Q might touch more people than Imagined.
Is this movie worth the price of admission? Yes, I love watching Denzel on the big screen. Yeah I know you hear that from me with a few men in show biz, but can't cheat anyone out of acknowledgements they deserve. Is it worth seeing again? Probably not, I don't think I can cry that much again. Make sure you take Kleenex, this is one thing you can't afford to forget.

Dan's take: Denzel Washington's performance in this movie was great. He once again showed that he is one of the best in Hollywood. It's too bad for the rest of the movie that aside from his performance, everything else was pretty forgettable.
It was another one of the stories where everything works out perfectly. I prefer it when there are a few speed bumps along the way that can't be overcome. Also, the medical aspect seemed a little over-simplified. Keep in mind that all of my medical knowledge comes from watching "ER," but having a set price for a transplant or a blood pressure reader that continually and smoothly counts down toward a set limit seems kind of hokey.
I thought the abundance of big-name actors would carry this flick if it had any problems, but they didn't help much. They were all stuck in age-old and stereotypical roles such as a seasoned hostage negotiator, the arrogant police chief, and a stern hospital administrator who finally finds a softer side. Boring.
One thing that did stick out was the underlying push for better healthcare. I still don't know if the movie was made for entertainment or as some kind of a public service announcement.
So, is "John Q" worth the price of admission? Well, I wish I would have had some sort of a discount but my friends said they liked it. Is it worth seeing again? No, once was almost too much.

By Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi. Broomfield, CO
DNnowplaying@aol.com

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