2002. Back then I was very short 8 year old, who worshiped football and pretended to be a massive WWE wrestler with crazy badass moves from the top rope aka the arm of the sofa. Now I still love football but I've realised grappling with half naked men in tight pants isn't my future. It was also the year I watched Mrs Doubtfire for the first time. The lead actor was a man who had me giggling constantly for 2 hours, running about in drag, creating all kinds of wacky antics that I couldn't get enough of. I watched the film about a month ago. In my head I was thinking...... a man has lost access to his kids so he becomes a tranny nanny in order to see them...... yeah how on earth could that absurd plot become a comedy classic. Only one man could have made that film work, Robin Williams.
Robin Williams was such an icon. Many top name comedians look up to him as a huge inspiration for their work. I wouldn't blame them. The man had so much talent. He was so quick and witty that the jokes just naturally flowed effortlessly. His random sporadic improvising style worked in a way that didn't make come across as arrogant and he could make crowd after crowd roar with laughter, selling out gigs all over the planet. Not only was he a naturally gifted comedian, he was an amazing actor who had unlimited charisma on screen. He was credited in over 100 films, some of which are excellent and some are utter tripe. But no matter how poor the film was, you'd rarely see somebody criticise his performance, because of his likability. I have so many great memories of Robin Williams films. Mrs Doubtfire was one of them. Here are a few more.......
I remember having Hook on video back in the day. Me and my sister used to watch it most weekends. It stars Robin as Peter Banning/Peter Pan, a very successful lawyer who becomes out of touch with his family, creating many broken promises. He forgets everything about his childhood. Neverland, The Lost Boys and his old foe Captain Hook, played by Dustin Hoffman. When his 2 children are captured by Hook, Peter must learn to reclaim his youthful spirit that he lost in order to challenge his old enemy and become a father again. It's such a fun 90's film that had so many quotable lines and you could only smile at Robin's warm and comforting presences on screen. Watching a man who had such a very bland, stilted lifestyle find who he really was inside was really uplifting and I still think the film is very underrated.
Jumanji is another childhood film which I still remember fondly. A board game coming to life and creating utter havoc was great entertainment and the film was scary at times. Robin Williams wrestling a crocodille and getting sunk into the attic floor whilst being attacked by massive spiders. Argghhhhh hide! That was the stuff of nightmares. I used to think the CGI was amazing, which now does look a little dated but it still felt real to me! It's still a great family film.
A film that I saw recently wasn't the typical Robin Williams film that I was use to growing up with. It's the film that he won an Oscar for his perfect portrayal as psychologist Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting. He was so perfect in that role even real life therapists learnt from his penetrative deliverance. I don't think I've ever heard that been mentioned about an actor before, incredible acting. It was the first time I saw him in a dramatic role and it showed how much of an all round talent he was. Not many actors can be a brilliant entertainer and switch into a very serious but controlled character. The film is brilliantly acted and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. A very powerful and uplifting movie.
The final film on my list is mine and many other people's favourite Robin Williams performance. And he wasn't physically on screen but it felt like he was there with you, being that warm character and friend that you need in your life. The Genie in Aladdin. His improvising skills are the best I've ever heard and they shone through in this Disney classic. The jokes, the impressions and references to pop culture were for the most part completely off script. He created an entirely new script by rolling it off his tongue. Disney recorded a days worth of recordings from Williams and they somehow had to pick his best lines for a 90 minute feature. Where would you even start?! He made that film his own, he was the star. If you look at posters for Aladdin, the Genie tends to be the main character that draws your attention and not Aladdin himself. Completely unheard of for a Disney film. The secondary character was the selling point. It also meant that more well known actors began to get involved in animation projects. A pioneer.
The term there will never be a person like this gets thrown around far too much, but Robin Williams was a unique character. He was a absolute genius that all generations beloved. A great man who sadly brought so much happiness to everyone in the world but not himself. Rest in peace Robin. I'll miss you dearly.
I remember having Hook on video back in the day. Me and my sister used to watch it most weekends. It stars Robin as Peter Banning/Peter Pan, a very successful lawyer who becomes out of touch with his family, creating many broken promises. He forgets everything about his childhood. Neverland, The Lost Boys and his old foe Captain Hook, played by Dustin Hoffman. When his 2 children are captured by Hook, Peter must learn to reclaim his youthful spirit that he lost in order to challenge his old enemy and become a father again. It's such a fun 90's film that had so many quotable lines and you could only smile at Robin's warm and comforting presences on screen. Watching a man who had such a very bland, stilted lifestyle find who he really was inside was really uplifting and I still think the film is very underrated.
Jumanji is another childhood film which I still remember fondly. A board game coming to life and creating utter havoc was great entertainment and the film was scary at times. Robin Williams wrestling a crocodille and getting sunk into the attic floor whilst being attacked by massive spiders. Argghhhhh hide! That was the stuff of nightmares. I used to think the CGI was amazing, which now does look a little dated but it still felt real to me! It's still a great family film.
A film that I saw recently wasn't the typical Robin Williams film that I was use to growing up with. It's the film that he won an Oscar for his perfect portrayal as psychologist Sean Maguire, Good Will Hunting. He was so perfect in that role even real life therapists learnt from his penetrative deliverance. I don't think I've ever heard that been mentioned about an actor before, incredible acting. It was the first time I saw him in a dramatic role and it showed how much of an all round talent he was. Not many actors can be a brilliant entertainer and switch into a very serious but controlled character. The film is brilliantly acted and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. A very powerful and uplifting movie.
The final film on my list is mine and many other people's favourite Robin Williams performance. And he wasn't physically on screen but it felt like he was there with you, being that warm character and friend that you need in your life. The Genie in Aladdin. His improvising skills are the best I've ever heard and they shone through in this Disney classic. The jokes, the impressions and references to pop culture were for the most part completely off script. He created an entirely new script by rolling it off his tongue. Disney recorded a days worth of recordings from Williams and they somehow had to pick his best lines for a 90 minute feature. Where would you even start?! He made that film his own, he was the star. If you look at posters for Aladdin, the Genie tends to be the main character that draws your attention and not Aladdin himself. Completely unheard of for a Disney film. The secondary character was the selling point. It also meant that more well known actors began to get involved in animation projects. A pioneer.
The term there will never be a person like this gets thrown around far too much, but Robin Williams was a unique character. He was a absolute genius that all generations beloved. A great man who sadly brought so much happiness to everyone in the world but not himself. Rest in peace Robin. I'll miss you dearly.
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