So... in celebration of the man gone too soon, here is a special list just for him. He had so many GREAT films, he deserves more than a Top 10... so... here is a Top 20 for this Comedy Legend. Not all of them will be starring or top billing, but let's face it... regardless of who got top billing, Robin Williams was ALWAYS a star...
Enjoy...
Top 20 Movies featuring Robin Williams
Here we go...
Honorable Mention 1: The Night At The Museum Trilogy: These 3 movies are fun. And Robin plays a wax Teddy Roosevelt come to life. A very endearing character, but there wasn't enough of him in it for my taste. And that's okay. It doesn't take anything away from the movies. At all. In fact, watch these movies if you haven't yet. Great ensemble casts for each movie(including a now Oscaf winner, Rami Malek)
Honorable Mention 2: Toys: A strange comedy about a Toy maker leaving his empire to the wrong son, who makes war machines from the factory. And the ensuing fight between the war machines and the toys is "interesting". But this also marks the film debut of Jamie Foxx. So it has that going for it.
20. Cadillac Man: A great weird comedy about a shady, adulterous car salesman getting held hostage at his car lot. Robin as the salesman paired with Tim Robbins as the gunman. The scene with Robin yelling the demands, it never gets old.
19. Good Morning Vietnam: Robin gets to shine in this movie. Playing a DJ for Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam War, contrasting what the officers thought was a good idea. Almost ALL of Robin's scene are improv, which if you've seen Robin's stand-up, you know that is what he does. A masterclass in improv in a movie.
18. Happy Feet: One of the handful of non-Disney/Pixar animated films to win the Best Animated Film Oscar. A movie that doesn't "star" Robin, but he elevates the film. And... he voices more than one character, uniquely... and is also the narrator. It is a movie about dancing penguins... and it is an award winning movie about dancing penguins.
17. Ferngully: the Last Rainforest: Robin definitely wasn't the star of this great animated film, but dammit... I quote him... all the time. "I can see! It's a miracle!" All the time. Cute little animated film and fairies... and environmental protection.
16. One Hour Photo: Robin is zany, silly, crazy, and a Master of Improv. But some of his best work is when he is cast against-type. And this is one of those roles. He plays a picture developer that... develops... an obsession with a family that we has been developing pictures for across many years. It isn't a horror film, but it is an amazing thriller that earned Robin a Saturn Award.
15. The World According To Garp: A strange comedy-drama about a fiction writer son of a feminist... and his... life. A bit of morbid humor. A bit of existential humor. And the first MAJOR role for Glenn Close. A largely unknown movie... underrated gem!
14. Awakenings: Yet another against-type casting. Robin plays a caring doctor that uses a drug on catatonic patients that survived a major pandemic. The idea is that they will experience an awakening... fixing their vegetative state... giving them a second chance at life. Also starring Robert DeNiro, this movie is interesting in concept
13. Patch Adams: Laughter is the best medicine. And Robin IS laughter. So why not cast him as this sweet, caring doctor? It worked. So much so. Too bad laughter doesn't cure everything.
12. Popeye: Yes, if you didn't know, Robin played the live action Popeye. A full fledged musical. But it was cartoony before Jim Carrey changed what that means. It wasn't a well received film when it released, but now... well, it's just a classic! Just like the cartoon shorts!
11. Bicentennial Man: This sweet film has Robin playing an android robot that just wants to be a real person. Some great comedy from Robin, but this isn't a comedy at the core. It is a piece about what it means to be human... what it means to be alive.
10. Insomnia: Christopher Nolan and his penchant for psychological thrillers. Another against-type casting for Robin. Playing a crime novelist in the middle of a crazy police corruption scandal involving murder and planting evidence. Awakenings had Robin paired with DeNiro... Insomnia has him paired with Al Pacino... and he proves he belongs with those big shots.
9. Dead Poet's Society: One of Robin's best works. Again, not a comedy. But some unorthodox mannerisms. Robin plays a teacher in a 1959 Vermont private school who has a unique way of teaching the boys using poetry. A very serious drama... I hold to this day that Robin's performance in this movie is why he found his way into number 5 on this list.
8. Jumanji: The movie about a cursed jungle board game that came to life. Who doesn't know this movie? This movie is iconic, but here is why the movie ended up not being higher on the list. Robin is the billed star, but the game is the movie. So wacky... silly... zany Robin, and it is welcome... but it wasn't his movie. And there is nothing wrong with that.
7. Hook: A story about a Peter Pan that left Neverland and grew up. Robin has to go back to Neverland and encounter Captain Hook after Hook kidnapps his kids. Robin's spirit just screams Peter Pan. So... he was perfect for it. And once again, paired with another heavy hitter: Dustin Hoffman.
6. Jack: Here we have a movie about a kid who is growing 4 times the rate of a normal person. So when he is 10, he looks 40. Sheltered due to his condition, Jack wants to go to a real public school. So... Robin Williams with 10 year old kids. Has some sad moments too. But a heartwarming movie. Word of warning for those who care. Bill Cosby is in the movie, as Jack's tutor. And it was before we found out Cosby was a POS.
5. Good Will Hunting: The Oscar winning role. The most endearing role Robin ever took on. He was funny, but only when it called for it. The movie is smart... it is sweet. Matt Damon made this a breakout hit. But Robin is the reason this movie shines. A perfect blend of the typecasting Robin is famous for... and the against-type casting that made him an Oscar contender... and it led to Robin's ONLY Academy Award win.
4. The Birdcage: A remake of a French-Italian film, it follows a gay couple who have to adapt due to their son wanting to win over his girlfriend's family, with a father that is a Conservative Politician. Nathan Lane STEALS the show, but the pairing of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane is a WINNING pair. We needed much more of this pair. Not to mention, Gene Hackman getting his Gene Hackman on(if you've seen enough of his films, you get it).
3. What Dreams May Come: A truly depressing but beautiful film. A pediatrician(Williams) meets an artist. Idyllic life... 2 children. Falls apart when their children are killed in a car accident. He tries to hold on, while his wife is admitted to an institution. He ends up dying in a car accident as well... eventually arrives in Heaven. Keeping tab on his wife from the afterlife, he sees her commit suicide. But instead of joining him in Heaven, she ends up going to Hell for killing herself. So... he journeys to Hell to save his wife from her fate.
2. Mrs. Doubtfire: Robin dressing in drag just so he could stay close to his family after a rough divorce. Honestly, I don't need to describe this one. I don't. Because I don't know many people who haven't seen this movie. It isn't just legendary, it is iconic. You think of Robin, you think of Mrs. Doubtfire.
And my number one favorite Robin Williams movie of all time......
1. Aladdin: (what else was it gonna be)Disney. We are going to play a short game. How many of you knew that the voice of Aladdin was also DJ's boyfriend Steve on Full House? Some of you. Probably. Yeah? But how many of you knew Robin voiced the Genie? Exactly. This is THE Robin Williams role. It is. And to fond out, he record MUCH more material for this role than we knew... the Diamond edition extras, we got to how much he put into this role. Looking back, he should've won an Oscar for this too. There is no reason he shouldn't have been nominated for it. No reason. Robin was Genie. Genie was Robin. Simple as that. (Not taking away anything from Will Smith in live action or Dan Castellaneta from the Animated series)... Robin recorded all the line, hours of material. Disney picked what they wanted and could use... and THEN animated Genie. They... animated Robin. No other way to put it.
Thank you, Robin Williams for bringing joy to the masses... even when you couldn't bring joy to yourself. I get it. I really do.
Thank you for giving of yourself.
Just simply...
And thank you to all of you for joining me today.
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