Just when you think one of the funniest people in America can’t get any funnier, he becomes “Patch Adams.”

Playing a depressed man who finds that his life’s calling is to make people laugh, Robin Williams combines comedy and melancholy acting to create a great movie atmosphere en route to a roller coaster of emotions.

Based on a true story, “Patch Adams” is about a man named Hunter “Patch” Adams, who is so discouraged with his life that he commits himself to a psychiatric ward as suicidal.

While he is there, he finds he has the natural gift of making people laugh. He uses his gift to improve the mental conditions of patients at the ward, and he improves his own condition as well.

He leaves the hospital and enrolls in medical school with the hope that he will one day be able to cure patients with the medicine he knows best — laughter.

While Adams is in medical school he hooks up with a guy named Truman, played by Daniel London, who is the exact opposite of Adams. Naturally, they hit it off right away.

Truman becomes very intrigued with Adams’ theory of laughter being the best medicine and quickly becomes his biggest supporter.

Along with the comedy aspect, the film brings to the table a classic love story.

Adams finds himself pursuing a girl named Carin (Monica Potter), who of course is repulsed at first and later begins to fall for him.

Like all good movies, there is one man who stands in the way of Adams — a man who feels the hospital is not a place for laughter or being personable.

Dean Walcott, played by Bob Gunton (the warden in “Shawshank Redemption”), is against Adams from the beginning and tries numerous times to have him expelled from medical school.

Too impatient to wait until his third year of school, Adams begins making visits to the hospital to talk with patients and make them laugh. Those trips provide some of the best scenes in the film but are put to an end by Walcott.

As retaliation, Adams finds some land in the country and starts up his own care center along with Truman and Carin. He calls it the Gesundheit Institute where he treats people in his own way, with sincerity and laughter. And he does it all for free.

“Patch Adams,” though it is very funny and tugs at the old heart strings, is a bit manipulative, as it sets the audience up for some major teary emotions late in the film.

The constant transitions from seriousness to humor are clever at first but start to get old and a little disturbing as the picture goes on.

The movie features a courtroom scene near the end, which sets up the classic scenario for more emotions.

The chemistry between Williams and Gunton is intense and adds extra anticipation to the plot. The conflict between the two of them is strong and makes you hate Gunton’s character more and more.

Awkwardness sets in as Williams and Potter become love interests. Williams, who is beginning to look more and more like a grandpa, gettin’ jiggy with Potter, who doesn’t look a day over 20, almost makes you a little uncomfortable.

Wonderful acting from Williams, Gunton and Potter, along with a solid story line and an unforgettable ending, make “Patch Adams” a must-see.

But if you’re not in the mood for crying, try to steer clear of this one. On the other hand, if you want to laugh, check this out. That’s where the confusion sets in.

3 stars out of five

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Kyle Moss is a freshman in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.