Just Chick Flicks is generally dedicated to romantic comedies, actresses and women in the movies. Today, I was unusually touched by the recent death of actor-comedian, Robin Williams.
This man who was so funny, made us all laugh with his role as Mork from Ork in Mork and Mindy, Good Morning Viet Nam and as the voice of Aladdin in the Disney animated movie. But Robin Williams also made us cry with his poignant portrayal of Perry, the homeless man in love in The Fisher King
You may not be familiar with my favorite Robin Williams movies. They are a few of his lesser known movies and of course, have a bit of a love story.
The Fisher King
Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam, directs Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer and Robin Williams in The Fisher King. Bridges plays a down on his luck shock jock who is convinced to help a homeless man complete a ‘quest‘.
Robin Williams plays Perry, the homeless man who feels he must complete his quest before he can win the heart of Lidia (Amanda Plummer), the woman he loves.
The dancing scene is Grand Central Station is one of the best things you’ll ever see in a movie. As well as a wonderful performance by the late Michael Jetter.
What Dreams May Come
Robin Williams stars with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Annabella Sciorra in What Dreams May Come. Robin plays a doctor who dies and finds himself in the afterlife, which looks remarkably like one of his wife’s paintings. Wet paint and all. This is a beautiful movie that asks the question: Is love stronger than death?
Popeye
Who else but Robin Williams could play this role? Robert Altman directs Williams as Popeye, the iconic spinach-eating sailor man with the bulging forearms and squinky eye.”What squinty eye?”
The casting of the other residents of Sweet Haven is perfect. Shelly Duvall is Olive Oyl, Ray Walston is Poopdeck Pappy, Paul Dooley is the hamburger mooching Wimpy and Paul L. Smith is the brooding Bluto.
Laughter Through the Pain
Robin won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting for Good Will Hunting. He also won Golden Globe Awards for roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, The Fisher King and Good Morning, Vietnam.
Yet with all of his talent and fame, there were dark demons lurking in the darkness. Robin Williams felt the need to end his life to put an end to the pain of depression. Even though he battled drug addiction and alcoholism on and off for many years, it is hard to believe that someone who could make us laugh so much could be hiding so much pain. Just know that depression is no ordinary sadness. It is not simply being in a bad mood and NO they can’t “just snap out of it“.
What caused his deep depression? What happened that made him think that this terribly tragic step was the only way out? We may never know.
We only know that he left us with a legacy of humor and drama in his movies. So I say good-bye to you Robin Williams with a scene from Dead Poets Society
Oh Captain, My Captain….
