John Q. still has a strong impact on viewers today, despite the fact that it was released almost 20 years ago. John Quincy Archibald, a parent and husband, watches his kid pass out on the baseball field.
Is John Q Based on A True Story
He learns that his son needs a heart transplant immediately, but there’s a major roadblock: his policy won’t pay for one. In an effort to save his child’s life, John first considers various choices before deciding to take matters into his own hands.
He takes many hostages in the hospital’s emergency room and asks that his kid be added as a potential organ donor. An extreme measure taken by a parent to save their child’s life is plausible, but did this actually occur? Is there any truth to John Q.’s story?
Is the Plot of “John Q.” Based on Actual Events?
John Q. may have been published in 2002, but it’s still very much of use in the year 2020, when many people are still having difficulty obtaining insurance to fund necessary medical treatments and devices.
It’s not hard to picture John Q. as the decent guy caught in a bad system, even if we all know that holding up a hospital and detaining hostages to demand medical treatment is an extreme measure to take. You can’t deny that he’s a likeable protagonist.
A yes and no response can be given to the question of whether or not John Q. was inspired by a true event. Put simply, the movie was not based on any true story. That John Q. Public didn’t actually exist.
However, if you listen to the commentary track with director Nick Cassavetes and screenwriter James Kearnes, you’ll find out that a similar event occurred in Toronto in 1998.
Prior to hearing the details from the film’s SWAT squad advisors, Nick and James were unaware of it. New Year’s Eve, Henry Masuka, then a father of one, brought his infant son to the emergency room at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital.
He waited around 45 minutes before a doctor could see his son because there were allegedly no paediatricians on duty. According to eyewitnesses, Masuka then produced a revolver from a towel and held it to a doctor’s head, asking that his kid be examined immediately.
When the police finally arrived, they shot and killed Masuka. Subsequent investigation revealed that Masuka had been carrying an empty pellet gun. Masuka’s youngster was released from the hospital with his family because he had suffered no injuries.
Although John Q. presents a totally different story than Masuka’s, the directors were obviously intrigued by the connections between the two stories. There are many of reasons why John Q. isn’t based on a real story, but I can see how some people could think it is.
There are millions of people in the United States who lack any form of health insurance, and many more who have insurance but still face overwhelming bills after receiving medical care. Despite the fact that most viewers will never be in John’s shoes, they still can’t help but view the insurance companies as the villains.
