Doc Hollywood

A brash young medical resident is driving across the country to begin a career in Beverly Hills as a cosmetic surgeon to the stars. But an accident of fate strands him in a small southern town. There, his outlook on life - and love - gets a down-home twist that changes him forever.

At first glance, this 1991 comedy looks like another formulaic fluff-piece with a standard fish-out-of-water scenario--in this case a hotshot young doctor (Michael J. Fox) whose cross-country drive to become a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is interrupted when he crashes in the rural hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. But as Fox's character is urged by the folksy locals to stay--an offer made tempting by his romance with a law student (Julie Warner)--this unassuming little movie just gets better and better thanks to a sharp script and a splendid supporting cast. Well, okay ... maybe Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda aren't used to the fullest of their abilities, but for the most part this is a charming and surprisingly intelligent comedy that's good enough to compare favorably to My Cousin Vinny, a film with which it shares much in common. Fox has all the right moves to make his character both bullish and ultimately agreeable, and Julie Warner's performance may leave you wondering why this fine actress didn't immediately rise to stardom. --Jeff Shannon