ROBODOC (2009)
“RoboDoc,” a 2009 sci-fi comedy directed by Stephen Maddocks and distributed by National Lampoon, skewers the healthcare and legal industries with over-the-top humor. Written by medical doctors Doug and Scott Gordon, the film stars Alan Thicke as Dr. Roskin, a hospital administrator facing a crisis: malpractice lawsuits driven by slimy lawyer Jake Gorman (David Faustino) are bleeding the facility dry. Enter RoboDoc (Corin Nemec), an android physician programmed for flawless diagnoses and treatments, introduced by a healthcare conglomerate to cut costs and eliminate errors. The catch? Gorman, thriving on human mistakes, sees RoboDoc as a threat to his fortune.
The story unfolds in a chaotic hospital where staff—nurses, doctors, and patients—react to RoboDoc’s cold efficiency with a mix of awe and resentment. Gorman, desperate to protect his racket, schemes to sabotage the android, enlisting a bumbling insurance adjuster (David DeLuise) and digging for flaws in RoboDoc’s design. Meanwhile, the robot’s literal-mindedness sparks absurd gags—like prescribing bizarre treatments or misreading emotions—echoing “Airplane!”-style comedy. Subplots pile up: a romance between a nurse (Brooke Newton) and a doctor, a patient’s wild escape, and Gorman’s increasingly unhinged ploys, including a courtroom showdown where RoboDoc’s perfection is put on trial.
The climax sees Gorman’s plan backfire as RoboDoc saves the day, exposing the lawyer’s corruption and winning over the hospital. Shot on a shoestring in a shuttered Florida hospital, the film leans on crude jokes, dated innuendos, and a cast of ’90s TV vets like Michael Winslow (making one sound effect). Critics panned its scattershot humor and low production values, but its earnest absurdity—think “Scrubs” meets “Data” from Star Trek—earns it cult appeal. “RoboDoc” is a silly, flawed satire, reveling in its own ridiculousness.
