REVIEW COLLECTION: Robin Williams

WRITER'S NOTE: The following is a collection of reviews posted on my Instagram account (@be.kerian) throughout the past twelve months. They’ve been organized--and will be posted--by specific categories, in chronological order based on initial (theatrical) release dates, and have been slightly edited. 

The following is a tribute to one of my heroes. 

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Good Morning, Vietnam! (1987) 

In reflecting on the incredible career of the greatly-missed-but-never-forgotten Robin Williams, you have to mention this hysterical 1987 military comedy-drama. Very loosely based on real-life radio DJ Adrian Cronauer, I'll never forget one of my high school mentors summarizing this movie. He politely advised me how serious the story gets, considering its setting during the early years of the Vietnam war, but also how funny Williams is every time he's on as a jockey. His voice certainly electrifies the airwaves, even after all these years. (This one's for you, Dad.) (2/24/2021) 

Dead Poets Society (1989) 

Williams' performance as an unorthodox prep school English teacher who inspires his students to rise above conventional wisdom and pressuring social norms still holds up remarkably well. But let's be honest, it's also an emotionally painful film to watch, particularly with the expectations parents had on their children during the mid-20th century, not to mention an aching climax. Still, John Keating is the kind of teacher that challenges and encourages us to understand ourselves, as well as recognize those who have influenced us greatly--in education, in family, and in our own unique identities. "O Captain, my captain!" (1/25/2021) 

Awakenings (1990)

A remarkable yet bittersweet true story based on neurologist Oliver Sack's groundbreaking experiments in the mid-20th century, where several patients "awakened" from decades in catatonic states. Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams both give restrained and believable performances as patient and doctor, respectively. (You completely forget it's DeNiro for the film's first half.) Penny Marshall's direction, Steven Zaillian's screenplay, and Randy Newman's score hit the right notes without getting overtly sentimental. A difficult but profound experience. (2/15/2021) 

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

The movie that first made me aware of the immense talent that was Robin Williams. With a hysterical and touching story about a divorced family man who masquerades as a British nanny to be with his children, Williams thoroughly makes us believe his out-of-work actor Daniel Hillard and his housekeeping alias are two fully-dimensional, distinct, and real people. It's arguably the most convincing performance of an actor in drag since Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, the most unforgettable nanny since Mary Poppins, and a performance Williams will always be remembered and beloved for. (Honestly, you never doubt the stern and endearing titular character for a second.) Like so many of his greatest roles, Williams' improvisational skills and vocal impersonations are on full display ("Yes!"), including an opening animated short directed by the legendary Chuck Jones. (2/2/2021) 

Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)

When Williams first signed on to play the Genie in Disney's now-classic Aladdin, he agreed on the condition that his name and character wouldn't be used predominantly in the film's marketing. Unfortunately, when the powers that be (namely, then-CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg) reportedly went back on that promise, Williams had a falling out with the studio. Disney, meanwhile, developed a spinoff T.V. series, starting with the 1994 direct-to-video (and poorly-made) sequel, The Return of Jafar, where Williams was replaced by Homer Simpson voice actor Dan Castellaneta.

Then, when Katzenberg left the studio that same year, newly-appointed head Joe Roth later issued a public apology to Williams, and the actor-comedian make peace with the Mouse House. This second (and final) direct-to-video installment that followed in 1996 is all the better with his involvement, reminding audiences what made the Genie (and the world of Aladdin) so special in the first place. It also helps that the story is a more involving one, as Aladdin and Jasmine ready for their long-awaited wedding while learning that his long-lost father is the king of the notorious Forty Thieves.

But it wouldn't be the last time Williams would shine as the Genie. The character and his voice returned in several education-focused shorts on ABC's Saturday morning programming in the late-1990s, while the actor's subsequent vocal credits included Blue Sky's Robots (2005) and Warner Brothers' Happy Feet franchise (2006, 2011). (2/1/2021) 

Jack (1996)

Some of Williams' films are currently available for streaming on HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+, like 1999's Bicentennial Man, 1997's Flubber, 1992's Toys, and this 1996 coming-of-age dramedy. In Jack, Williams plays a 10-year-old boy with the body of a 40-year-old man (based on a real but rare condition called progeria, where a person's cells grow faster than normal) as he enters public school for the first time.

The film was savaged by critics, although director Francis Ford Coppola (who has, to be fair, made far more superior films) has defended it, while Williams (who returned to the Walt Disney company after a falling out in the early-1990s regarding Aladdin's marketing) reportedly wouldn't star unless Coppola directed. Agreeably, it's not a great film. It is sentimental and, at times, over the top. Even more sad is its inclusion of sexual references, including a scene of pre-teenage boys looking at pornographic magazines, as well as a strange subplot where single mom Fran Drescher crushes on the grown-up-looking Jack. So, I can't recommend it. Still, nobody but Williams could've brought out his inner child as effectively and fittingly. (Remember his grown-up version of Peter Pan in Hook?) (2/1/2021)