1951-2014
"Humor is mankind's greatest blessing."
-Mark Twain
It seems as though these days we seem to be doing a lot of these memorial posts. I've just gotten over the loss of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and now we lose another monster talent in Robin Williams. Say what you will of the reasons behind his death or the past demons he had to face, the man was a talented, funny, sweet, giving man and I cannot imagine a world without his talent in it. I don't want to dwell on the man's end but would rather look back at the movies he made, more accurately the movies he's made that maybe you didn't see so that you might be able to go back and find a new movie that can add to the remembrance of the man's work and not his death. RIP Robin Williams, you already had a special place carved out in heaven but you arrived a little too soon.
The Night Listener
This movie is one of those movies that if it hadn't been recommended to you, you probably haven't seen it. I happened across this movie at Blockbuster one night and was transfixed by the performance Robin Williams gives. A radio host who is in the midst of a divorce and is losing his life becomes engaged again by a young fan and his horrible stories. Bent to save him, he travels to Wisconsin to find him. It is a thriller with a few twists and turns that you don't see coming. It is notable that Robin Williams carries the movie and engages the viewer. It echoes some of his own troubles with depression as you'll see in a lot of these movies on the list. The Night Listener was a story that made you think, was smart, and had a good story but was dependent on it's lead actor. In that, Williams delivers and I've long thought it was an overlooked movie.
Mr. Unhappy sez: The movie is far from perfect but it shows the dramatic side and skill with which Robin Williams worked.
The Final Cut
Final Cut is set in the near future where every moment of your life can be captured through a camera in your optic nerve. When you die a cutter will edit together your life into a memorial service that shows all the good and usually eliminates the bad. Robin Williams plays Alan Hackman, a cutter who never turns down an assignment. When he is given a high profile cut, he is approached by people who oppose his profession to turn over the footage so they can show the man as he was rather than how he is. Robin Williams delivers a subtle performance as a solitary man who is terrified of a past mistake that he lives his life through the film he cuts. There is a quiet subtlety that Williams portrays in this movie that seemed to speak to me. He lived so much in the lives of others, that his own life became tragic and lonely. Not only is Robin Williams good in this movie but the story is haunting and smart. It keeps you on your toes and makes you think.
Mr. Unhappy sez: The Final Cut gives us a look at how we live our lives and the scenes we might not want people to see. A diamond in the rough, worth seeing.
One Hour Photo
This movie is perhaps the most terrifying movie Robin Williams ever made. He plays Sy Parrish, the family photo developer. He sees your lives through the pictures you take and quite honestly falls in love with one family. It is a movie about the descent of a man who is already on the brink. The man who develops your photos was a secret keeper. He knew when you had a birthday, an anniversary, a naughty moment with your lover, and when you have a new member of the family. He quite literally sees your life. Sy is a complex character and Williams took it to a level that got under your skin. I still see him sitting in the living room of the family he's "adopted" and imagining the fun and happiness he could have in his life with them that is so seriously lacking from his own. It is a sad disturbing movie that showcases Robin Williams at his best. A must see if you love Robin Williams.
Mr. Unhappy sez: See this one! One Hour Photo is one of the best Robin Williams movies I've seen. It is not the happiest of movies but they don't call me Mr. Unhappy for a reason.
Bicentennial Man
I feel I've cast a down note on Robin Williams career so far. Here, with Bicentennial Man, I lighten up the list for a moment. Don't worry, I'll bring you down with the last offering. This is the story of Andrew, a robot who develops the desire to be human. We follow his life through 200 years as he starts as a servant and grows till his death as a human being. I love this movie solely for the love story. Andrew grows up with a family with two kids. The eldest despises him and the youngest "little miss" loves him as part of their family. As he lives he realizes that he is not like the others of his kind. He wants more out of his life. He wants to feel and express himself. Soon he returns to his family home to find "little miss" has grown and lived a life while he searched for himself. It is a story on life and love and what it really means to be a human being. Yes, there is a level of schmaltz and if you don't tear up at least once, you may want to take a test to see if you have other signs of being a sociopath. I know that I could watch this movie an unending amount of times and still enjoy it. There is a lightness and friendly nature to this movie and it will break your heart every time you watch it.
Mr. Unhappy sez: I love this movie. It touches me and makes me believe in love and humanity again. I don't take that lightly. If you ever thought this was a Robin Williams movie you should skip, you need to readjust your viewpoint. This is one that most expresses the man I want to remember.
What Dreams May Come
Given the news of the day, this is perhaps the most on the head movie of the group. It conveys a man, struck down in the prime of his life, leaving behind a wife and children who love him. It is a love story and a death story. It is a story about life and what happens when it ends. Robin Williams plays Chris Nielsen, a doctor who dies in an automobile accident and finds out what is on the other side. As he waits for his wife to join him, he builds a life in one of his wife's paintings and creates his own personal heaven. His dog is there, his best friend is there, and he has whatever he needs or could want. He loves his wife and learns that she has been sent to Purgatory after killing herself, he travels through the levels of hell to rescue her and bring her to the home he's built. It is a touching melodramatic view of death. I don't know if I agree that this is what happens when someone dies but in moments like this, I kind of wish it was. We'll all see this part of the story when it happens. Maybe it is only darkness and you cease to be. I'd like to believe this is not all there is. I'd like to believe that when I die, I'll see my mother, my family and all those I loved and lost. That I might see those I love and be able to say goodbye one last time. What Dreams May Come seems like an over the top movie about all the wonderful goodness of death. It may be but it also is the story of what we all wish death could be.
Mr. Unhappy sez: I don't know of any movie about heaven that made as much sense as this. Maybe I'm a schmaltzy guy... this movie might make you one too.
I don't know what to say about the shocking death of Robin Williams. I have my viewpoints and my opinions but today, I just want to remember a man who entertained, gave laughter, and gave himself to everything he did. He was a great man, a great actor and from what I hear, a great human being. I hope he knew that in the end. How loved he was and how many hearts he would break with his passing. It hurts a little. I'm man enough to admit that. I wish we had more time but that's nothing knew. Life rarely lets you go when you want. I only wish that when I go, I remember how loved I am and how much love I gave to others. It's an admirable goal. Robin Williams achieved it. That's how I remember him. RIP sir, you touched us all.
