Favourite Robin Williams films

Sam Mac

After the tragic and sudden death of the beloved Robin Williams, I would love to know, what everybody's favourite film of his is.

Mine would have to be One Hour Photo. His performance was so genuinely creepy and the film itself is very underrated.

I know his film career is vast, so if you are finding it hard to choose, just pick one of your favourites, or even let us know all of your favourites!

Rest in Peace buddy.

FortuneChip

There's a lot of movies with outstanding performances, but his most iconic movie has to be Mrs Doubtfire. Endlessly quotable, and pretty unforgettable to anyone that grew up in the 90's.

I'll agree on One Hour Photo, and Insomnia was a good turn too.
Good Will Hunting, goes without saying. His scenes with both Matt Damon & Stellan Skarsgard make the movie what it is.

And one a little more obscure; his character Rainbow F*cking Randolph in Death To Smoochy!

Roquentin

Good Will Hunting

NinjaTruncs

Bicentennial Man is my favourite movie of his, not sure what it is about it I just really really liked it.

johnny_ultimate

Looking through his filmography, it strikes me how few of his films I actually like - a lot of them are very mediocre fare, not to mention his infamous series of flops. There are only a handful of true keepers. But one thing has to be said - even when the films let him down, he was almost always a very strong screen presence, radiating a charisma, charm and enthusiasm. He certainly earned his success and recognition through natural acting ability, even if few films really took advantage of his unique gifts.

As for favourite films? I really enjoyed World's Greatest Dad, and his downbeat performance was a big part of that film's success. But maybe my favourite appearance isn't a film at all, but rather his fantastically weird, funny and ultimately poignant appearance during season three of Louie.

krudler

His appearance in Louie was excellent. Film wise I thought World's Greatest Dad, One Hour Photo, Good Will Hunting, The Birdcage and Good Morning Vietnam were his best performances.

Snickers Man

Loved Robin Williams. But mainly as a stand up or during interviews where his genius for improv was evident.

Some of his film comedies were a bit twee but as Johnny Ultimate says, Williams was always compelling viewing, whatever the script.

But there's one of his films I really didn't like. Here's what a conservative political author (Jonah Goldberg) had to say about Dead Poet's Society

Is there any doubt that a young Hitler would have given Dead Poets Society a standing ovation?

The film begins with the students learning poetry by formula, plotting its “perfection along the horizontal of a graph” and its “importance” on the vertical in order to find the “measure of its greatness.” You can almost hear Hitler denouncing such a “Jewish” way of gauging art. Along comes Mr Keating, played by Robin Williams, who tells his students simply to rip those pages from the book!
.....
Following his example the truly “free” students join a secret society where they adopt pagan names and meet in an old Indian cave to “suck the marrow out of life” make new gods, and read Romantic poetry.

...Another student rebels against his bourgeois father’s pressure to become a doctor. He wants to live a life of passion as an actor....When his father forbids him to indulge his passions any further, [the student] chooses suicide over compromise—a similar ending to Hitler’s favourite play, Der Koenig [which] Hitler saw 17 times in three years.

The tragedy of the suicide shatters the school, and Mr Keating is fired. The surviving members of the Dead Poets’ Society risk expulsion if they even look at Mr Keating; yet they cannot resist his charisma. One by one, they stand on their desks, defiant of their new teacher. These beautiful young overmen, united in their will, look to their “captain” and away from traditional authority.

All that was missing were the Nazi salutes.

Not sure that I'd go along with all that, but there was something about that film I always thought was very off putting.

Still I admired Robin Williams enormously. Such a talented man. A very sad day.

Tipsy McSwagger

Aladdin

He played a man cursed with having to be something he hated and who's job was to make other people happy while he was trapped in a dark little lonely space.

Telecaster58

Most of his comedies were dire. His best performances, I think, are those that went against type like One Hour Photo, Insomnia, and The Fisher King.

Roquentin

Snickers Man wrote: »

Loved Robin Williams. But mainly as a stand up or during interviews where his genius for improv was evident.

Some of his film comedies were a bit twee but as Johnny Ultimate says, Williams was always compelling viewing, whatever the script.

But there's one of his films I really didn't like. Here's what a conservative political author (Jonah Goldberg) had to say about Dead Poet's Society



Not sure that I'd go along with all that, but there was something about that film I always thought was very off putting.

Still I admired Robin Williams enormously. Such a talented man. A very sad day.

is she(political author) trying to say that dead poets society has some hidden nazi meaning. ridiculous. Very good film

Agent Coulson

Not a film but one of my favorites was his guest appearance in Law and Order SVU's 200th episode "Authority".

A telephone voice impersonating a police officer asks people to do morally questionable and illegal things. SVU detectives learn that this plan was orchestrated by an engineer Merritt Rook (Robin Williams) in order to convince the public to be more discerning and oppose authority. Rook turns his trial into a media circus and seizes an opportunity to abduct Olivia Benson. With the help of Rook's co-worker (Ka-Ling Cheung), Elliot is able to learn about the man's tragic past and track him down. In an apparent hostage situation, Rook tries to make Elliot inflict pain on her by way of a Milgram experiment.

SouthTippBass

Forgot all about One hour photo, great movie, he was such a creep in it!

I'v never seen Good Will Hunting, but have it ready for this weekend.

Bepolite

GOOOOOOOD MORNING VIETNAAAAAAM

realgirl

1. Good Will Hunting - a firm favourite of mine
2. Dead Poet's Society

RIP

catallus

One Hour Photo was a pretty terrifying performance.

Kinbe

The Fisher King , Good Morning Vietnam , Good Will hunting....RIP

Kinbe

The Fisher King , Good Morning Vietnam , Good Will hunting....RIP

constitutionus

NinjaTruncs wrote: »

Bicentennial Man is my favourite movie of his, not sure what it is about it I just really really liked it.

really sticks in my mind too.

that film doesnt get the credit it deserves.

Warper

One Hour Photo, Insomnia (RTE are showing it this Thurs night) and Mrs Doubtfire

Reg'stoy

Along with the more obvious choices, one of my particular favorites is What Dreams May Come , mightn't be everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it and I thought he was excellent in it.

groucho marx

Oh sir I saw them,some angry member of the kitchen staff. Did you not tipp them? It was a run by fruiting :-D

nix

Death to smoochy, more people really need to see it, that one went under the commercial radar.. tis a good watch though, i enjoyed it!

fryup

one hour photo

its just so un'robin williams

efb

Mrs Doubtfire

Yeatz

Hook was my favourite childhood film, and I still love it.

is mise spartacus

RV and Mrs Doubtfire!

OldRio

Good Will Hunting is on BBC 1 this Thursday at 10.35.

Reebrock

Doubtfire really pulls my strings on a deep personal level.

BionicRasher

The world according to Garp and Awakenings are 2 great movies. Must dig them out and watch again.
Also like One Hour Photo where he played Seymour Parrish. Only just realised that in Jumanji he played Alan Parrish. Any ideas on a connection?

krudler

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Not a film but one of my favorites was his guest appearance in Law and Order SVU's 200th episode "Authority".

He was in an early episode of Homicide: Life On The Street (which was a sort of precursor to The Wire) as well as a grieving husband.

Snickers Man

Roquentin wrote: »

is she(political author) trying to say that dead poets society has some hidden nazi meaning. ridiculous. Very good film

Er. It's a he. And yes. That is exactly what he's saying. Which is just a tad OTT, I think.

Still. Never liked that film. Thought the plot could have been written by Enid Blyton.

I'd prefer to remember Robin Williams for his stand up monologues which are a bona fide art form in their own right. Anything that can make you laugh out loud, even after multiple viewings deserve veneration.

"Don't say lesbians, say women in comfortable footwear"

_Kaiser_

I'd have to say Good Morning Vietnam and Bicentennial Man myself - as mentioned above the latter is extremely underrated.

groucho marx

There was a line in mrs doubtfire,cant recall it word for word,was something about freeze framing a moment in your day and saying this isnt my life. Always kind of stuck in my head and made me go yea I totally agree.

JP Liz V1

Patch Adams is fav of mine too

IvaBigWun

Thread needs a poll I think.

My favourites, with number one being his best imo:

8) Bicentennial Man (Ive vague memories of this been great)

7) What Dreams May Come (under-rated)

6) One Hour Photo (its getting lots of praise online today, I must give it another watch. Another Ive a faded memory of been very good)

5) Mrs Doubtfire ("hellllooooo!" (he was divorced twice so Im sure he found it easy to play a man who was missing his kids)

4) Insomnia (he nails it)

3) The Fisher King (used to love this and watched it many times but tried it again recently and it didnt quite stick, must give it another go)

2) Good Will Hunting (The scenes where he talks about his wife)

1) Dead Poets Society ("Oh Captain, my Captain")

Sam Mac

Poll added.

If you don't see your selection listed, just comment it here. Hope the current list is okay.

Cheers

efb

Mrs Doubtfire- just finished watching it

vicwatson

Seize the day and the fisher king

degrassinoel

If he hadn't died yesterday, i wouldn't have said this at all, but 'What Dreams May Come'

Poor Robin, Jaysis, him and Rik Mayall were both idols of mine since i was a kid watching 'the young ones' and 'mork and mindy'

shamrock55

Id say one hr photo he was superb in that, also insomnia, i must admit ive never seen dps or the fisher king

BopNiblets

Just watched Good Will Hunting, dammit who is cutting up onions in here?!

shamrock55

Im watching awakenings now he is very good in that too tbf but then so is de niro, something ive just realised is his voice,robin williams voice is so recognisable

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Loved Toys, but that's just me. The surrealism was beautiful. Voted for The birdcage.

FunLover18

Yeatz wrote: »

Hook was my favourite childhood film, and I still love it.

+1 Absolutely love this film! The food fight is proabably my favourite on screen meal, it all looks so delicious. Watching it back as an adult and some of old-Peter's dialogue is hilarious

agent graves

patch adams and jack. remember these as a kid.. great films.

IvaBigWun

Sam Mac wrote: »

Poll added.

Thanks.

VelocityGirl

The world according to Garp is one of my favourites. I love John Irving stories and all the characters are so interesting in it.
Having said that I voted for Dead Poets as that had the biggest impact for me.

I might have to give Good Will Hunting another viewing.

I always found Robin Williams choices in the characters he played very interesting. They often had a vulnerability that contrasted with his reputation as the manic comic.

Irish Aris

Dead Poets Society for me, favourite film of all times.

Aladdin and Good Will Hunting close by.

Fago123

1. The Fisher King
2. Insomnia
3. Awakenings
4. Aladdin
5. World’s Greatest Dad

World's Greatest Dad is the high point of his career, his stripped back performance was one of the only times I saw him in a film and felt like he was acting. He was good in Insomnia, One Hour Photo and a few others but you have to wonder how our appreciation of those performances was helped due to the fact that he was playing against type. There is no doubt that he was a good actor but I don't think there's a single film he was in, in which he was the best thing about it.

Looking through his filmography and it's predominately made up of over the top, mawkish and unfunny films where he simply mugged for the camera for 90 or so minutes. Much like Eddie Murphy he's had a number of huge bombs and at times you wonder how he kept working. His last film The Angriest Man in Brooklyn is one of the worst films released this year or any for that matter.

Warper

Didnt like Good Morning Vietnam at all and hated Dead Poets Society.

Aside from the his career the guy seemed like a really nice guy which is more important than anything else.