Sorry, Mr. Williams, I frankly have no feelings about New York in June.

[sanspoof]

The Fisher King (1991), Terry Gilliam. January 12, 8pm. View count: One

Comments

[mmcirvin]

I remember liking it when I saw it, but at the time I thought both that Gilliam could do no wrong, and that the stuff in it that wasn't like Brazil was Serious Adult Drama Stuff that I ought to learn to like. And I hadn't yet gotten sick of Robin Williams' holy-fool act (seeing Patch Adams really ought to kill that for any sane human).

[jwgh]

I actually own a copy of this movie, although I haven't watched it a while. I suspect I would still enjoy it, though; I'm pretty easy to please. (It wouldn't surprise me if Robin Williams's act hasn't aged well, however.)

I think when I bought it I didn't think it was one of Gilliam's masterworks, just a decent enough one that I thought was mainstream enough that I could take it on a family vacation and my mother's side of the family might watch it and actually enjoy it. I have a few movies like this and I suspect that sanspoof would dislike pretty much all of them, which is fair enough.

[mmcirvin]

I have to hand it to Williams, though; he's discovered a new line in creepy-ass psychos who are not supposed to be cute, and that actually kind of works.

[ex_agentcoo]

I /loved/ this movie. When I was 12. But then, I still enjoyed Garfield at that age.

[ex_agentcoo]

Get a job, sir! The bums lost!

[scholargipsy]

Man, I am so with you. I loved the concept of Fisher King -- explore the archetypes of the Wounded King, the Wasteland, and the Grail in modern New York -- and I definitely dug Baron Munchausen, but King is just a gawdawful mess. I had such high hopes, and was so bitterly disappointed. You are bang-on right about Robin Williams's horrifyingness in the film, too -- Jesus Christ, debilitating insanity is not supposed to be cute.

I recall having a huge fight with me cineast college girlfriend, who adored the film. Some months later we happened to be having lunch with New Yorker film critic David Denby (honest), who agreed with my assessment of the movie. I remember turning to my S.O. and grinning in the obnoxiously smug way only a 21-year-old male can.

[sanspoof]

All smugness is required, sir. I was pretty amazed when I saw the 90% rating on rotten tomatoes. Who ARE these people?

I remember loving it

[notr]

but I also always misremember it as having Kevin Kline in it. Plus too and, I'm a sucker for Jeff Bridges.

Re: I remember loving it

[sanspoof]

Jeff Bridges was pretty good, but everything else was somewhere between eh and igh.