For most people of my generation, August 11, 2014, was a traumatic day. It started off like normal with everyone going about their business. There was no reason to believe that this day was any different. And then, somewhere around the early afternoon, the news was released that Robin Williams had committed suicide. Details would come out that would hope to clarify this moment (there’s even a movie coming out soon which… no thank you), but all it did was bring together people for discussions not only of a towering giant in our lives but of what it means to be open with mental health issues.
There have been thousands of deaths in the six years since that day, and yet there is a tinge of pain every time I think about Williams. It could be that I used Mork & Mindy reruns at night to help me through a depression in high school. It could be that I rarely felt like he got recognition for his dramatic skills, which were even better than his gift of gab. He was a man of limitless potential and I still recognize how empty the world of entertainment is without him. Nobody had that spontaneous ability to make you laugh and cry and have both poles be rewarded. He was a genuinely great actor. Had I met him, I could probably say he was a great person.
For this week’s entry of Top 5, I’ve decided to look at the movies that I personally turn to when someone asks “What makes Robin Williams so great?” While I’m pleased to announce that there are dozens more that didn’t make the list, these are the ones that resonated, making me glad to have him in our life. Not a year goes by where I’m not reminded of the impact he’s left on pop culture, and I could only wish that things played out differently. Nowadays we could use a laugh and nobody could make us see the world quite like him, full of optimism even in dark times.
1. Good Will Hunting (1997)
It was the moment in Williams’ career when the stars perfectly aligned. It was a role that allowed the audience to see his dramatic side at its full potential. With these meaty monologues rich with vivid details from co-screenwriters Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, he brought to life the story of a therapist helping Damon work through his personal issues with success. It’s a moment as driven by his ability to listen as it is to espouse advice. He manages to control the emotional pulse of the story with such ease that you’d believe that he was this empathetic in real life. It’s a gentle role, even when he’s thorny, defending himself from the pain around him. He learns as much from Damon as he does from him.
There are a handful of moments scattered throughout that may qualify as the actor’s greatest work. For sheer energy, watch the winding baseball game story that is edited to perfection. For thought-provoking insight, listen to his park monologue where he talks about the limitations of reading books. If you want to cry, just jump to the end, where four words have this ability to break your heart open. He brings so much to this role that embodies what makes him a great dramatic actor, winking from the corner of his eye the entire time as he deals with annoying colleagues who disrespect him. The antagonism is just as fruitful as anything else in this brilliant story.
It’s when The Academy Awards finally rewarded him, recognizing that he was not only one of his generation’s most prominent voices but a legitimate actor with plenty of gifts to offer. His focus and energy ranks among the very best here, managing to keep the viewer engaged. In some ways it even transcends the film itself and speaks to the audience, taking them through their own personal journey of life and youth, asking yourself what is valuable in life and what you should do if you want to experience any form of happiness. This is a movie that has only grown better with age, and the shining star for why Williams deserved way more respect at times than he got.
2. Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
In a time where immigration is a hot-buttoned issue, it feels like a good time to be reminded of one of the most empathetic and lively stories ever on the subject. No film has done a better job of exploring the joy of The American Dream from the outsider’s perspective quite like Williams as a starry-eyed Russian. When he comes to New York with a circus troupe, this saxophonist finds a desire to stay and live out his wildest fantasies, finding himself running through a series of moments that capture the highs and lows of American culture. You buy every moment with his earnest joy blaring from his face at every moment.
The actor was so committed to the role that he would learn to speak fluent Russian as well as play saxophone. He sells it perfectly, finding a balance between comedy and personal sadness. Lonely conversations in restaurants among immigrants reveal plenty of reasons that this country is great. This is a celebration of life that also ranks as the actor’s most underrated role in his entire career, managing to present a side of America that is greatly in need in 2020, and one that reflects the world as something more welcoming and friendly. It provides opportunities, allows for conversations you couldn’t get elsewhere, and most of all show the struggle and loneliness even when everything seems to be going well. It’s an honest film worthy of more acclaim.
3. The World According to Garp (1982)
Another early sign of Williams’ untapped potential came in this John Irving adaptation that finds a man going on a crazy adventure. It’s an eclectic drama with so many eccentric details that it’s easy to mistake for a comedy, especially as Williams’ life continues to spiral out of control. He has an incredible gift at making the whole story feel grounded, never allowing the craziness to consume him and instead let his personal struggles feel earned. He is an everyman who is not unlike us, capable of overcoming any obstacle.
Among noteworthy accomplishments is the featuring of John Lithgow as a transgender woman who is given every ounce of character and dignity of the other characters. For an 80s movie, that is worthy of applause. Still, this is a story of a writer trying to get out of the shadow of his mother’s own successful writing career. It’s about overcoming obstacles and you buy it because it’s the right levels of absurd and depressing. If anything showed proof that Williams had a promising career ahead of him, it was this memorable turn that leaves the viewer constantly guessing.
4. Awakenings (1990)
There are few films that proved how the 90s were going to treat Williams quite like this medical drama. It was a prestige picture that found Robert De Niro in another memorable role, this time playing someone with physical and mental struggles that shine through in every decision. His chemistry with Williams is unsurpassed, managing to capture this empathetic core of its story. As a feel-good story of finding ways to make these patients feel alive again, it’s a story of trial and error that hits all of the right notes, finding Williams unwilling to give up as he finds minor changes making great differences.
While the decade ahead would find him at his silliest and most childish, it was also a chance to see him explore mortality and human dignity. To watch him gently lean over and talk to these patients is to see a caring man who wants to make a difference. The viewer never doubts for a minute that he has the best intentions, and it sells the movie very well. He will go on to do it several times, but this was his most human and honest performance. He brings warmth without relying too much on saccharine, and it makes you understand why he was great. He didn’t need to do much to win you over. All he had to do was smile and listen.
5. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
There is something amazing about watching this movie that has never grown old. It’s like a calm before the storm as the radio DJ’s prepare to tee off Williams. As the soul record finishes playing, there is that crackle. Nobody knows what’s going to happen next. Then, in a moment that symbolizes all of Williams’ career, he turns it on. Not the DJ, but Williams himself. As he yells the title, he sounds like a radio zoo jock, rambling like a car down the freeway. Every line is a joke within a joke You might miss one as he’s teeing off the next. As the other actors are cracking up behind, there’s this infectious energy that draws you to him. He’s doing nothing but talking in a booth, but for that moment it’s the greatest feeling in the world. And the best part? It’s all improvised.
This is one of those cases where a war film can be both harrowing and dark while also very, very funny. When the microphone is off, it’s a study of The Vietnam War that deals with a variety of serious issues. It’s not a soldier’s story, but one of the comingling that shows the cultural differences and the small ways that they’re unified. More than any American film on the subject, it’s one that creates a lavish portrait of life on base, showing the ways that people are just trying to get the war. It puts into context the value of Williams’ performance, serving as this beacon of hope through a miserable time. It’s as symbolic of the story as it is of his career. The levels to which this is true weren’t fully understood until much later in his career.
Bonus
An Evening at the Met (1986)
Okay, this is technically not a movie. As far as I know, it never played in theaters and most people will likely discover it on record. With that said, I think it would be of great disservice if you don’t see Williams in motion, telling jokes with a manic energy that feels like a psychedelic cloud. Any of his selections are worthy of putting on this list, though my personal favorite remains this one where everything feels strangely in place, where every accent and joke lines up in this kaleidoscopic fashion. To watch it is like watching Hussein Bolt run for an hour straight. You sweat because no man should be able to move that fast for that long. More importantly, you are amazed that anyone could be that fast AND have great timing.
What makes it especially worthwhile is where it stands in the career of Williams. Having established a career in Hollywood, he’s broken free of the Mork & Mindy trappings and was experiencing the beginning of his bigger success. It’s a show that talks about drug addiction, fatherhood, and just so happens to feature an animatronic Ronald Reagan for good measure. You spend the whole show wondering where he came up with these ideas, and how he managed to make them so deranged and heartfelt. Was it all improvised, or is there an order to this madness?
He’s made several specials since that is definitely worth your time, but this was a moment where everything lined up. He was still young and moving at 2x speed, managing to mix clarity with his manic persona in such a way that would fade with time. He’d always be this wild, but rarely this unpolished and raw, allowed to feel like he brought cartoon characters to life. For that hour, you’re left feeling like he conjured a new world before your eyes, and it captured why he was a singular comedic presence. Nobody lands a joke like him, and that’s likely what most people miss the most.
What is your favorite Robin Williams movie?
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