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Before I Fall
Film
FilmPG-132002
John Q
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son's name on the donor's list. From TMDB
218 reactions from 2 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 8, 2026 · last updated Oct 14, 2026 · How this works
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Sentiment labels for these sources are still being hand-checked; no score yet.
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 42 | 9 | 165 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What people are saying
A written summary appears once the title has a score.
At a glance
John Q is a 2002 drama thriller crime film, directed by Nick Cassavetes, starring Denzel Washington, James Woods and Kimberly Elise.
- 199 people have posted about this film on Bluesky, Mastodon
- posts span Aug 21, 2023 to Oct 8, 2026
Assembled from TMDB, Wikidata and Steam fields and our own counts, nothing written by a model. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
218 public posts have mentioned John Q so far, but it needs 10 opinionated reactions from checked sources before it gets a score. Seen it? Post your take.
The Experts
42%
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The People
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audience score
Reactions
60 of 218 · most liked firstI agree, I worked healthcare Risk Management or years. There is a good movie “John Q”. Worth a watch. Insurance Co don’t make money paying claims, they make money denying claims! They deny thinking most won’t challenge the denial. They are correct, often ppl don’t.
positive · AI labelView post →John Q was a fictional movie not a documentary. Have a good day.
neutral · AI labelView post →A great point. Have we even gotten a movie about the health insurance industry recently? Luigi Mangione was four years old when John Q came out in 2002.
neutral · AI labelView post →"Normal person turns to crime to pay their medical bills" is like. An entire subgenre of American television, too. Breaking Bad, Good Girls, etc. And of course the movie John Q, which is literally Denzel Washington holding up a hospital when the HMO won't treat his kid.
neutral · AI labelView post →Like John Q. Terrible movie. Great Denzel. Denzel approaches every movie he’s in like it’s Citizen Kane and that’s why it’s never wasted time watching a movie he’s in.
negative · AI labelView post →Wow, I wonder why "John Q" is the most searched crime movie on streaming today? 🤔🤔🤔
neutral · AI labelView post →In light of the UHC slaying, I keep thinking about Denzel's role in John Q. Not a 1:1 at all, but a movie that I think about all the time, in light of how cruel our healthcare systems are
neutral · AI labelView post →The Rainmaker (as a movie) was released in 1997 John Q was released in 2002 Last Holiday was released in 2006 Leverage debuted in 2008, so did Breaking Bad The initial premise of every one of those begins or contains story about the callous evil of the US' for profit health insurance system
neutral · AI labelView post →The image they used is from the movie "John Q" A movie about a man who takes a hospital hostage in order to help his son, who needs a life-saving transplant not covered by health insurance or government aid. @npr.org Hollywood hasn't shaped insurance opinions for worse, people's experiences have.
neutral · AI labelView post →Can't wait to find out that the winner of Elon's next million-dollar check is John Q. the entire Bee Movie script
neutral · AI labelView post →the movie "John Q" really shows just how popular and on the side people would be to Luigi Mangione waaaay before it happened, the entire movie is a guy holding a hospital surgeon hostage as well as forcing a hospital to save his son because his insurance was denied the crowd and hostages cheer him.
neutral · AI labelView post →The 2002 movie is called John Q. It was moving and impassioned! Worth watching!
positive · AI labelView post →I don't think a movie like John Q does well and then shows something new to America, I think a movie like John Q does well cause America already feels the fuck out of it from experience
neutral · AI labelView post →Has this one been done.... Hello, I am John Q or Joan Q Public in a Superman or Wonder Woman movie/ TV show who doesn't recognize that Diana Prince↔️Wonder Woman and Clark Kent↔️Superman because of **checks notes** glasses....
neutral · AI labelView post →You guys ever seen the movie John Q? Way more of that shit is gonna happen when they gut Medicaid. Just wait. Desperate people do desperate things. And some of those pulling the trigger behind those decisions won’t be laughing when they become the target of their bad decisions.
neutral · AI labelView post →In light of health insurance company CEO shooting, I'm going to spend today watching the 2002 movie John Q, starring Denzel Washington - in the film, his son needs a lifesaving procedure but can't get it due to the insurer's refusal to pay for it, and which led to Q taking the hospital hostage.
neutral · AI labelView post →There's actually a motion picture about a guy that takes matters into his own hands when his son's heart surgery costs are declined by his insurance company. The movie is "John Q" featuring Denzel Washington. A hit in 2002.
neutral · AI labelView post →John Q. Good movie.
positive · AI labelView post →This mane doesn't even have a bad film. John Q is one of my favorites though.
positive · AI labelView post →Believe me - i know - as the mother of a childhood cancer survivor- the dont care. The movie John Q was popular at the time she was hospitalized- I fantasized about doing just that - #luigi is my hero
neutral · AI labelView post →Anyone remember the Denzel Washington movie John Q?
neutral · AI labelView post →My first thought was the Denzel Washington film John Q.
neutral · AI labelView post →John Q is a movie I only needed to watch once, I cannot watch that again 💔😭
negative · AI labelView post →It is a long time since I watched TV drama House, but I don't recall health insurance being mentioned, just lots of tests being ordered, whereas in the comedy Scrubs it was a major theme. The Denzel movie, John Q, also has it front & centre. American Healthcare has always been an obscenity.
neutral · AI labelView post →Three Austin Powers movies and John Q film this week #letterboxdfriday #lastfourwatched #letterboxd #filmsky
neutral · AI labelView post →lmao at making the image on this article from John Q, a movie released in -checks notes- 2002. surely this media is what finally made someone snap
neutral · AI labelView post →John Q! Great movie.
positive · AI labelView post →-They made a movie starring Denzel Washington about a poor Black man who holds up a hospital to get surgery for his child called John Q. -White guys with guns aren't inherently sympathetic usually they set off people's alarm bells. People were fine with it because the victim was a healthcare exec.
neutral · AI labelView post →I watched John Q the other night...it was pre ACA...and a damn good movie
positive · AI labelView post →In the 2002 movie “The Adoption of John Q,” Denzel Washington plays John Q Archibald His son needs an emergency heart transplant to save his life—his health insurance company says no so he takes the ER hostage, demanding that the cardiac surgeon performs the transplant I wrote about the movie 1/2
neutral · AI labelView post →It's just all fucking financialization. Like if you go back and watch cartoons from the 40s and 50s explaining the stock market (John Q Factoryman wants to expand so he sells a bunch of stock) it bears no connection to what we're seeing today youtu.be/nkDUgeIOkLY
neutral · AI labelView post →Wow!!! My favorite actor since JOHN Q movie… I’ve seen that movie thousands times and I always end up crying. Wowww I love this sooooo much… well deserved!!!
positive · AI labelView post →We've now come full circle to the movie John Q. It was bound to happen.
neutral · AI labelView post →movie pitch: Al Roker goes off John Q style in the NBC building
neutral · AI labelView post →Just did my public service of the week: Guys at the bar are talking Denzel films. One guy: I LOVE that one where his kid is sick & he takes over the hospital. Other guys, blank: You sure it wasn't a Liam Neeson movie? Finally, me: Uh, hey. John Q? They all slap their hands on the bar. JOHN Q!!!
neutral · AI labelView post →#Bales2025FilmChallenge #SeptemberMovieChallenge #moviechallenge #filmsky #moviesky 9/19 - TV show "ER" debuts: A movie featuring an emergency room or an actor/actress from "ER". John Q (2002)
neutral · AI labelView post →Just watched John Q, a film about a man taking hostages because his insurance won't cover his son's heart transplant and he will die without it, and I am emotionally destroyed. Incredibly interesting film to consider especially post Luigi Mangione. I want to look up the reaction at the time (2002).
positive · AI labelView post →John Q a movie about a man who holds a hospital emergency room hostage after his insurance company denies his sons heart transplant. Things aren’t looking too good for me.
neutral · AI labelView post →John Q should’ve moved more people. It’s such an underrated film. Good movie to watch with all the uhc stuff going on.
positive · AI labelView post →There's actually a motion picture about a guy that takes matters into his own hands when his son's heart surgery costs are declined by his insurance company. The movie is "John Q" featuring Denzel Washington. A hit in 2002.
neutral · AI labelView post →The gif is from Training Day but the health insurance movie is John Q. Kid’s son needs a heart transplant but insurance is all “Nah. Die.” so he takes the hospital hostage to save his son.
neutral · AI labelView post →They did, more or less. Watch John Q. Movie with Denzel Washington from 2002.
neutral · AI labelView post →there's an implicit threat to their filming: if you don't like it, we will make you famous online. which is pretty threatening to John Q Rando on the street, actually. they generally don't film cops as much as randos, they're not bothering ICE, they're making no statement of any kind
neutral · AI labelView post →Loved this episode. In thinking of other bad medicalish films for you to review: > Five Feet Apart > John Q > Lorenzo’s Oil Some better ones: > Awakenings > The Knick (ok, not a movie) > Concussion > Something The Lord Made
neutral · AI labelView post →youtube.com/watch?v=w-0_... This is a movie clip John Q headed by Denzel Washington. If you are collecting Medicaid with children this is the movie to watch. It gives tale of what the BBBILL is about to execute to 16 MILLION hard working Medicaid Americans 😡😡😡😡
neutral · AI labelView post →First a man shooting a healthcare CEO is compared to Denzel Washington in "John Q." Now an airline pilot is arrested for DUI like that other movie Denzel Washington was in. I can't remember the name of it. Is Denzel Washington like The Simpsons except for being a *living* future predictor? -E
neutral · AI labelView post →okay but I recently rewatched this movie and its almost more relevant, cause like once John Q starts his thing the public is soooooo down for it they swarm the area with support amd signs and shit and the cops actually change their strategy because of the public response... its... cool...
positive · AI labelView post →I almost forgot about John Q. What a great movie for everyone to watch, especially health care execs. People will start having nothing left to lose, and that's where things become chaotic.
positive · AI labelView post →Anybody remember that movie JOHN Q. with Denzel Washington? The one where he took matters into his own hands because insurance refused to pay out for his son's heart surgery? That was a good movie.
positive · AI labelView post →Anyone wanna have a movie night? I haven't watched John Q since it was in the theater
neutral · AI labelView post →especially with the way y'all like to be in the OR filming TikToks and shit nowadays??? man do not play with me. John Q will become my personal film study.
neutral · AI labelView post →First movies that came to mind... Man on Fire (probably cause I'm watching the new series) John Q Philadelphia (all time great film) Fallen (mentioned elsewhere) ... tbh, I'm not sure of a movie he made I haven't enjoyed.
positive · AI labelView post →Testing the theory that #Denzel is awesome regardless of the quality of film you put him in John Q and Equalizer 3 stretched that theory to the very limits. But the great man came through and made very bad films very watchable He Got Game and Devil in a Blue Dress are classic Denzel #filmsky
neutral · AI labelView post →John Q. eaaaasily! heavy film, heavy social reality. #Film #Movies #FilmSky #MovieSky
positive · AI labelView post →John Q, Glory, Training Day, the Equalizers… it ain’t a bad movie but damn lmao
neutral · AI labelView post →John Q can kick rocks. That movie is emotional terrorism. #BlackSky #BlackSkyover30 #BlackSkyover40
negative · AI labelView post →A movie that feels prescient re: health insurance fury? John Q.
neutral · AI labelView post →This! There's also a Denzel movie called John Q.
neutral · AI labelView post →Ever watch the film “John Q” with Denzel Washington? “John Quincy Archibald takes an emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant. “
neutral · AI labelView post →I enjoy how like 30% of the comments are about the movie John Q now.
neutral · AI labelView post →
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