Here’s the deal:
The death of Robin Williams has brought a lot of reactions – some have focused on the inherent sadness of the event, others are confused by his actions, and some have used his death to help shine a light on addiction and depression. These reactions are understandable, though for me, when an artist dies I’m always going to focus more on the career than the person.
Robin Williams struck me as a genuine, warm and fiercely intelligent person, but the fact is I didn’t know him. What I did know was his body of work. I watched Mork & Mindy on Nick at Nite as a kid, grew up with Hook, Aladdin, FernGully and Mrs. Doubtfire and later enjoyed his more serious roles in Good Will Hunting, One Hour Photo and Insomnia. While he wasn’t necessarily an actor I would seek out like some others, he was someone whose presence was hard to ignore.
And if you look at Williams’ career, you might be struck by how odd it is. Many comedians hit a certain point where they just aren’t good anymore, something that has less to do with talent and more to do with being lazy and already having a Scrooge McDuck-sized money bin. It happened to Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, and sort of Steve Martin (he still does good non-movie work). But Williams has no clear point of no return. No moment where you can say, “Right there. That one.”
Yes, he was in a lot of bad and/or pandering films. Hook is a muddled and frustrating failure, Toys is a movie with great moments and promise but never quite makes it; Mrs. Doubtfire is amusing but is also the type of movie you probably aren’t going to claim as a favorite; Jumanji is fun but again, probably not a favorite; and Jack is a weird and embarrassing effort. With other films like Bicentennial Man and What Dreams May Come deemed too sappy, this could look like the failed movie career of a beloved ’80s comic.
But then you’d be forgetting how great The Birdcage was. You’d be ignoring strong work in Good Will Hunting, a charming performance in Patch Adams, and the darker period of 2002, in which Williams starred in the fantastic Insomnia, the clever Death to Smoochy and the overlooked One Hour Photo. In all of these films Williams took chances that many in his position would not have. He risked his family image by being in three movies about a lot of sex, murder and obsession.
Past these films Williams’ career bounces back and forth some more, but while RV and Old Dogs are the kinds of movies you want to forget, Night at the Museum and World’s Greatest Dad (probably his last great performance, and another ballsy choice) are not.
Now most of the movies I’ve mentioned are probably familiar to most people, but the following two are a bit more off the beaten path. Go watch The World According to Garp and The Best of Times. Now.
The World According to Garp is an early serious role for Williams and he pulls it off beautifully. Released in 1982, and based on the bestseller of the same name, Garp is a tragicomedy with a whimsical heart. The movie explores themes of creativity, sexuality, coming of age, feminism and family life and has been seen as a minor classic since its release.
The film was made by George Roy Hill, the director of such films as The Sting, Slap Shot and the great Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. If you’re unfamiliar with Hill’s work, he’s pretty interesting in that while he directed mostly comedic films, his camera work was never pushed off to the side. Garp is a good example of his visual and thematic style, and if you like Wes Anderson and Hal Ashby, you’ll find a lot of similarity in Hill’s work. Glenn Close and John Lithgow also shine in the film, but it’s Williams’ humanizing performance that makes this a must-see.
The Best of Times is probably even less well-known. Made in 1986, it features Williams and Kurt Russell as members of the same graduating class. Russell’s character was the star quarterback while Williams was a second-stringer, haunted by his failure to catch a game-winning pass during a high school game. The characters decide to replay the game with the original team and the entire town becomes invested in the spectacle.
This film is different than most Williams comedies in that most of the humor is subtle compared to his usual boisterous personality. But both he and Russell make it work, and the result is a very charming sports movie with a lot of heart.
I can only imagine the despair Robin Williams was facing leading up to his death but I wish he would have gotten the help he needed. His films often showed the thoughtful, ironic and darker sides of him behind the madcap clown persona we got so used to seeing. Watch these two films and you’ll get to see the curtain pulled back a little more.
But seriously, shazbot.
