Robin Williams: 1951-2014

Partial Education Presents

Robin Williams: 1951-2014

Featuring Partially Educated Reviews of

Good Morning, Vietnam

Aladdin

Mrs Doubtfire

Good Will Hunting

One Hour Photo

and World's Greatest Dad

I don't want to set a precedent here. Since I started this blog, there have been a number of notable people (not just actors and directors) from the film industry that have died and could have warranted a dedicated post to themselves. Even looking at the last two weeks, you have Lauren Bacall and Richard Attenborough, both of who would deserve one just as much as Robin Williams. I'm not going to start doing dedicated posts every time someone dies, but felt it essential to do one on Williams, because I don't know if this blog would exist without him. I appreciate that sounds dramatic, but in 1992 I went to watch Aladdin at the cinema and from there I wanted to see more of the man who voiced the Genie. At a time when all I watched was animation, Williams led me into live action films such as Mrs Doubtfire and as I began to seek out more independent films I was drawn to the likes of One Hour Photo. It does seem to me that for every point where I started watching new types of film, there's a Robin Williams film that played a part in that. As a result, I felt it right to look back at some of those films.

You'd expect an 80's comedy drama about a DJ trying to break free from the heinous censorship befalling his broadcast during the Vietnam conflict to be heavy-handed and by now a little bit dated. To be fair, Good Morning, Vietnam is both of those things and yet still remains an entertaining and important film. Much of the positives come as a result of Williams. Although I don't actually find his radio schtick particularly funny in this film, it's admirable to note that all of it was improvised by the man himself. For me, his style is fairly exhausting and a lot of the jokes I don't find particularly funny (though, I confess, some of them I don't get due to me not knowing nearly enough about the times that were occurring). However, whether or not you find Williams' jokes as Adrian Cronauer particularly funny doesn't prevent you from engaging with the story being told, as Cronauer's rebellion against the radio's selection of the news that can and can't be broadcast (taking out all the nasty bits) serves as both a document of what occurred at the time, but also works as a direct parallel that could comment on the not as bad, but still present censorship in today's world. This could also be said for the way the film explores people's reaction to entertainment that they can't stomach. For me, the fact that I don't like Williams' comedy in this film does hold it back a little bit, as there's a little too much time spent in the studio with him. Outside of the studio, the film makes up for this, as Cronauer's pursuit of a Vietnamese lady leads him to form a bond with her younger brother and also results in him teaching English to the Vietnamese. This is where the film does work for me when it comes to laughs and also allows Williams to show that he is far from a one-trick pony. Without giving anything away, the role necessitates that Williams can't just have a laugh all the time and this will remain one of the films that will always allow Williams to be respected in areas other than just comedy. If you're not blown away by Good Morning, Vietnam, don't be surprised, as neither was I the first time I watched. However, as an exploration of important issues that extend far beyond the immediate time and setting of the film, it deserves it's place in history.

FOUR out of five

I'd be hard pushed to do these reviews without mentioning Williams' only Oscar win, so here it is. Though it's a rarity for someone's best performance to be the one that gets them the Oscar, his win for Good Will Hunting really does mark out one of his finest performances. Though there are funny moments (and plenty of them), the key purpose of psychiatrist Sean Maguire is not as comic relief. The passing of his wife sets the scene for much of Maguire's struggles, but instead of being the victim, Williams presents us with a kindly soul. Maguire is the film's main voice of reason (a guardian angel of sorts), fighting against everyone's expectations of misguided genius Will Hunting (Matt Damon), but also searching to give Will a much needed kick up the arse when it comes to finding his true purpose in life. In the lead role, Damon excels. His boyish looks don't necessarily translate to the "bought up on the streets" type character, but he soon makes you forget this with a convincing performance. The attitude of Will is admirable, but arrogant. When he's out-smarting people that arrogantly underestimate him, you root with him and when he's trying to wind up Williams about how much he pleased his wife, you hate him and this all works because of Damon. In the director's chair, this marks Gus Van Sant's first foray out of the indie scene that he made his name in. For the most part, he does it well, though he occasionally falls back on his indie ideology in a way that betrays the film, particularly when his attempts to be artistic jar with the overall feeling. Thankfully, these are rare and the most notable one (a really badly done fight scene in a basketball court) is out of the way quickly. There's nothing original about Good Will Hunting and the ending is so obvious, there may as well be signposts to it. The performances though are what make the film more than worth a watch.

FOUR out of five

The obvious expectation for a horror film is that it's scary, but sometimes the most effective ones aren't going to cause you a sleepless night, but instead creep you out because of just how close to a potential reality they lie. Williams plays Sy Parrish, working behind the counter of a photo development department and harbouring a dangerous obsession with the Yorkin family, due to their seemingly perfect family life. As his obsession with them grows further and further, he begins to see the cracks in their life that their photos failed to show him. As Parrish becomes unable to deal with the flaws in his vision of the perfect life, his own mental stability worsens and his actions become more desperate and more sinister. This is one of the finest examples of Williams acting, with next to no comedic elements. Rather than being entirely unrecognisable, Williams channels some of his more friendly characteristics (notably his smile and laugh) to show us how people could warm to him, but then also incorporates these into his darker side. Parrish obviously isn't a likeable character, but he is oddly sympathetic, no matter how far into madness he descends, or how immoral his actions become. It's not glamourising him (if you feel influenced by him, get yourself checked out), but instead works as a character study and an exploration of what would lead someone to similar actions. The rest of the cast are fine and all perform their roles well, but this really is a vehicle for Williams and director Mark Romanek. Romanek's history in music videos is obvious, but he channels this well, leaving the natural scenes to do the work themselves and then channeling his artistic urges in various fantasy and nightmare sequences that range from creepy to outright unsettling. One Hour Photo is a film that benefits from multiple viewings, not necessarily because you miss things the first time around, but because you find more to explore and more ways to look into the psyche of an essentially broken man. As a result, it stands as one of my absolute favourite horror films.

FIVE out of five

In the time immediately following a celebrity's death, it is usually easier and right to remember the great work they did. Though there is plenty of that to look at with Williams (there's a lot of films I've missed from these reviews), the sad fact is that his later career provided much less work of quality. I've selected World's Greatest Dad though, not because it's an excellent film, but because it is evidence that Williams was still capable of great performances. High-school teacher Lance Clayton (Williams) is going through a bad patch, as his poetry course is under-subscribed and his son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) is the rebellious self-entitled type. As a man who wants to do right by everyone, when few people want to listen to him, Williams holds the film together and then some. There is no question who's side you should be on in this film and though Bobcat Goldthwait's script gives the best lines to all the other characters, these simply wouldn't work if there wasn't a likeable presence to begin with. To be fair to the film, it begins really well. There's some genuinely funny jokes and a real grasp on dark humour that most filmmakers could only dream of having. Unfortunately, there's a midway shift linked to a major event that I won't spoil here. Though it's a nice idea, it's handled fairly ineptly. The supporting characters that were previously annoying remain annoying and the one's who were previously OK become annoying. This isn't true of Williams who stays likeable, but when everyone around him is so irritating, it simply leads the film to become just as irritating. Goldthwait also lets himself down in the director's role with some really badly played moments and one really notable extended sequence to music, in which the point is made a long time before he decides it's time to move on. World's Greatest Dad is a good film and it never completely runs dry of jokes, but it would have been so much worse without Williams and doesn't manage to hold on to it's early momentum.

THREE out of five

There are two roles though which, for me, will always remain synonymous with the man himself. So let's end on them.

Though there are many films in which Williams starred that would have been essential additions if this were to be a full look at his career, one that I simply couldn't miss out was Aladdin. Despite the major falling out between Williams and Disney that occurred in relation to the marketing of the film, he has still noted this role as a lot of fun. For me, as far as cinematic events go, I don't imagine anything ever feeling bigger for me than this did. Aladdin was my 2nd ever trip to the cinema and the 1st that didn't leave me traumatised (in my three year-old eyes, the Beast in Beauty & The Beast was the scariest thing ever). What was it that made it so great? A number of things, but Robin Williams as the Genie was a big reason. The sheer madcap, frantic fun that he provides in the role is so well done that you fail to notice just how bland the likes of Aladdin and Jasmine really are. Other reasons for the film's success are many. As far as evil duos go, it's hard to beat Jafar and Iago, with Jonathan Freeman particularly excelling as the odious, entirely despicable Jafar. In the pantheon of great Disney villains, I would always make a case for Jafar to stand at the top. Aladdin also marks the high-point (along with The Lion King) of one of Disney's true golden eras. When it comes to crafting a complete package that can be enjoyed just as much by adults, as by children, it rarely gets better than it did here. The truest compliment though lies in a phrase that Disney (the company, not the person) like to use a lot: timeless classic. You'll often them wheel it out whenever they reissue one of their older films, but I often find it to be misused. Far be it for me to criticise some of their undeniable classics, but a lot of them do feel dated, be it through pop culture references that lose effect with time or through an overly twee feeling that doesn't translate into the modern world. The ones that don't fall into these areas as much are the ones that truly stand the test of time. By this, I'm meaning films like Peter Pan and The Jungle Book. Despite it's younger years, Aladdin will be one of those films and I challenge anyone to tell me otherwise.

FIVE out of five

Simply put: if you don't like Mrs Doubtfire, you need to lighten up. Yes, the film is a tailor made Hollywood vehicle in which every necessary box is ticked and the ending arrives with the sole mission to at least moisten your eyeballs, if not send you into paroxysms of uncontrollable weeping at the joyous *SPOILER* happiness of it all. Who cares though when the film remains to this day as funny as it ever was. If you're that person who's never watched it: Robin Williams plays recently divorced Daniel Hillard, whose circumstances prevent him from being able to have regular custody of his children. The natural solution: dress up as a elderly Scottish lady and take on the job of Nanny. It's a natural fit for Williams as he gets to adopt the comic antics that befit him so greatly, whilst also exercising his acting chops in the beautifully played conversations between Mrs Doubtfire and ex-wife Miranda. These scenes also work to avoid Miranda from becoming the typical shrew and the fact that she's played by the ever-magnificent Sally Field also helps here. There's no point going on about Mrs Doubtfire, because you probably know if you like it or not. I'm not saying it's perfect (Mara Wilson's is paid to be cute, but will cloy with anyone who doesn't like things too sweet and the film's attempts to be fair to Pierce Brosnan's character fail entirely), but it ain't half one of the best family films out there.

FOUR out of five

That's it. I'm not going to eulogise, as the best way to remember someone like Williams is to revisit the great entertainment they provided us with. However, I found the Academy's tweet on Williams to be one of the most appropriate and touching tributes imaginable, so I've decided to end on that.

The Ridley Scott Issue

Partial Education Presents

The Ridley Scott Issue

Featuring Partially Educated Reviews of

American Gangster

Body Of Lies

Robin Hood

Prometheus

and

The Counsellor

On Boxing Day, Ridley Scott's latest film Exodus: Gods And Kings will arrive into cinemas and for the first time since I became aware of who Ridley Scott is (that would be the day my Dad took me to see Gladiator), I'm finding it really hard to get excited about it. Looking at Scott's most recent five films, this is why:

In it's first 30 or so seconds, American Gangster pulls a bit of a masterstroke, but does so in a way that dogs the rest of the film with expectation. The opening scene is a short, brilliant stab of brutal violence that provides a backdrop for any subsequent action undertaken or word spoken by Harlem gangster Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington). No matter how many nice things he does for his family or how committed he appears to them, the scene will stay with you as a constant reminder that Frank Lucas is, first and foremost, a dangerous man. Sadly though, those few seconds work in the same way that the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan did for the rest of that. American Gangster is not in a rush and the first hour stretches out a portion of story that a lot of films would tell in 10 minutes. Though this does lead to some nice moments, a lot of it feels like filler. This is particularly evident when it involves Russell Crowe's character, Richie Roberts. As a detective whose staunch honesty hasn't exactly endeared him to the rest of the force, Crowe manages to shrink away from the usual hero persona, to feel like an everyman type and he does this very well. The problem is that it takes far too long for Roberts to catch the scent of Lucas. The events that lead to this are fairly predictable and feel far too familiar a story to warrant the time that is spent on them. Thankfully, the second hour does pick up and develop some tension and excitement. This isn't a film that is concerned with action though and, to some, the lack of a final explosive confrontation will disappoint. There's a solid shootout, but it's certainly not groundbreaking. The build towards Washington and Crowe finally meeting feels awfully similar to that of the wait for De Niro and Pacino's eventual meeting in Heat, but when we arrive at that point, it lacks that magic spark that Heat had. Also, the supporting characters do get a bit short changed and feel rather clichéd, a shame when you consider that there's some brilliant actors here, including Josh Brolin and Chiwetel Ejiofor. American Gangster is a good film and could never be accused of being boring. It coasts though, relying a bit too much on it's two fantastic lead performances and this leaves it feeling like a decent story, rather than an immersive look into an interesting and complex world.

THREE out of five

Though Body Of Lies gives us another collaboration between Scott and Russell Crowe, the selling point is not the moderately reliable director-actor pairing, but instead the potential new one between Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio. In this respect, it delivers as DiCaprio is fantastic. With The Departed and Blood Diamond helping to shed the boyish image from DiCaprio that had hung over him for perhaps a little too long, Body Of Lies served as the first film in which that issue was now completely gone. His beautifully layered performance means that despite the grim surroundings and events that he is mired within (an ongoing hunt for terrorist Al-Saleem), he always provides some ray of hope through his ultimate search for happiness that cares little for how the world perceives him. In fact, performance-wise, Body Of Lies packs in a load of great ones. Crowe is good fun as DiCaprio's boss, with his sporadic appearances meaning that the dry, slightly sardonic wit displayed by his character is kept fairly fresh. Mark Strong also delivers a phenomenal performance and it should be mentioned that this film came before Strong had fully established himself as the reliable screen presence that he now is. What helps is that it's a brilliant character, a Jordanian informant to DiCaprio's character that, while retaining the necessary shades of darkness and mystery, feels human, as averse to the usual shady foreign informant. If it weren't for DiCaprio's equally fantastic performance, Strong would have stolen this one. Unfortunately, the story lets it down, not because it's awful, but because it doesn't feel particularly new. Relevant it may be, but it follows a fairly standard narrative and though it may lead to an impressively gruelling final act, there's not quite enough here to justify the 2 hours and 10 minutes running time, though a nicely played unrequited romance between DiCaprio and Golshifteh Farahani (as a nurse that treats DiCaprio) does go some way to helping with this. Body Of Lies is worth a watch, but it's far from a game changer.

THREE out of five

As great as Gladiator was, it hasn't half cast a shadow over both Scott and Crowe's careers ever since (out of all the films they've done since, that's usually the one that they go back to for promotion purposes). This has never been more evident than it was with Robin Hood. The plot and character similarities are obvious, with Crowe's dispute with the current monarch, following his place in the previous monarch's army, being practically identical to the superior plight of Maximus Decimus Meridius. There is still plenty to like though. The cast are, without exception, solid to excellent, including Crowe in the title role despite his much maligned accent, which goes for Northern, but somehow covers the entire United Kingdom throughout the course of the film. Special mention must go to Oscar Isaac, as the arrogant, yet perennially jealous King John. Though the role may be slightly inferior to the Joaquin Phoenix counterpart, he's still thoroughly detestable and Isaac seizes your attention whenever he appears. There's also a much, much better array of characters than is often present in Scott's films. Of the five reviewed here, this has by far the biggest array of characters that don't just appear when it's necessary for them to serve the main characters. The pace is also fairly well measured, marking the only one of the three films here that breaches two hours, but doesn't particularly feel overlong. What doesn't help Robin Hood at all though is that it consistently feels like an introduction to a better sequel and this is now made worse by the fact that there's no guarantees of that sequel ever coming. Though the chance to take the legend of Robin Hood and explore the possibility of that legend's true origins is a cracking concept, it does feel as though this loses something by steering away from the more fantastical elements that legend would allow. Some slightly more over the top moments appear, but the tone of the film makes them feel out of place (the excellent marksmanship of Crowe feels overly cartoonish by the end of it all). This is the point where a trend becomes established, because Robin Hood is merely good.

THREE out of five

(I apologise for the rhyme. I didn't realise until I'd written it and couldn't be bothered to come up with something else.)

When I first came out of watching Prometheus, in the ancient old year of 2012, I was maybe a little dramatic about it. In fact, a friend even remembers my, shall we say, liquid induced self declaring it to be the worst film ever made. For the record, it isn't that. I probably didn't even think it was at the time and was instead just reacting to the disappointment in that most petulant of fanboy ways. Nonetheless, the necessary re-watch of Prometheus beckoned for this review and I really didn't want to do it. Turns out to be a good thing, as Prometheus continues the trend of this review. It's alright, I guess. In fact, on it's own merits, it's a perfectly serviceable sci-fi film. A lot of the acting is excellent, with Charlize Theron being a particular stand-out, in full on bitch mode without the headache inducing melodrama of her Snow White And The Huntsman performance. Some dodgy old fart make-up ruins one performance (which I can't really give away) and Noomi Rapace's OK, but is far off the mark when it comes to Scott's obvious intention of making her the new Ripley. Other than that though, no complaints on the acting. It also looks pretty good. Scott has smartly steered away from trying to replicate the dark claustrophobic corridors of Alien and gone for the more open surroundings of an entire planet. A lot of the horror actually takes place in full visibility, still managing to retain some feel of danger and menace. Alien, however, is the problem. As I said about Robin Hood, it feels like an introduction to a better film that may never come. Prometheus, on the other hand, IS an introduction to a better film that already exists. Furthermore, though I would have welcomed an addition to the franchise with open arms, the last thing I ever wanted was the whole thing explaining because it didn't really need it. Hell, I'd have sooner welcomed a 2 hour collection of different ways to destroy copies of the Alien VS Predator films and wouldn't half have loved it. Prometheus feels like a gift that you thought you wanted, but soon realise you should have never asked for. There are things to recommend, but when you consider the legacy that it follows, it can only be seen as a disappointment

THREE out of five

And so we end with The Counsellor and, let's get this stated, we also end the three out of fives. I had to watch The Counsellor in two parts, which I normally hate, but I didn't have time to watch it all in one go and get this review written by today. After watching the first hour on Tuesday, the last thing I wanted to do was watch the second hour on Wednesday. Alas, I'm not about to review a film I've only watched half of, so watch the rest of it I did and here is my honest opinion on it. The Counsellor is a seedy, misogynistic pile of filmic bile. Feeling like a tribute to the mainstream bridges into erotica that Michael Douglas kept making in back in the 90's, The Counsellor isn't even clever or sophisticated enough to be compared to those films. If anyone's had the unfortunate experience of watching Douglas and Demi Moore in Disclosure, allow me to be clear: that's better than The Counsellor. Michael Fassbender (just the tip of the talented cast that's wasted) stars as the titular counsellor, who is getting himself involved with Javier Bardem's dodgy businessman in a nightclub business, whilst also getting himself involved in the world of drug dealing. The twisty and, frankly, depressing plot is a tricky one to follow, which isn't always a bad thing, but when it's down to bad pacing and a lack of clarity it very much is. Written by the exceptionally talented novelist Cormac McCarthy, the script is a dud through and through. Every line feels like it's designed to be quotable, but most of them are either inept, poorly delivered or (most of the time) both. Not everything fails, as the odd glimpse of McCarthy's decent writing shows through, but these rare appearances of his skill are not enough to make up for the rest of it. There's also his shoehorning in of mature subjects which feels trivialising and occasionally pathetic (await the arrival of snuff films at your peril). Some of the acting is dreadful as well, with Brad Pitt on particularly wooden form as a stereotypical shady businessman and Cameron Diaz's femme fatale aiming for sultry and alluring, but landing nearer repellent. Fassbender, Bardem and Penelope Cruz (as Fassbender's fiancé) all do well enough, though Cruz deserves a far better character than she has here. As for Scott, he appears to have developed a horribly leery eye, particularly with his female characters who appear only as victims or for the purposes of titillation. The only one who gets some real characterisation is Diaz and that serves to make her become more and more hateable as the film progresses. When your most notable moment is having sex with a car windscreen, something's gone horribly wrong.

Here comes the explanation bit. Until now, the lowest score I would give is a one out of five, but I've always said that I would be willing to give out a zero out of five. This is something that I'm saving for the gratefully rare occasion that I think a film goes beyond bad, to being harmful for cinema. To me, The Counsellor represents a horrifically seedy regression for cinema in which a nasty, grimy world is explored not by simply taking a look at that world, but by becoming a nasty, grimy film in the process. In short (and with apologies to my mother for the language), The Counsellor pissed me off.

ZERO out of five

The Issue

So there we have it with regards to Scott's recent output. The only thing left is a brief final bit on Exodus. It's not that I don't want to see it, merely that I'm not all that excited. It's not even because of The Counsellor, which I see as a VERY unfortunate blip, as I can't imagine Exodus ever being that bad. The thing is that Ridley Scott is a director known for the undeniably great films he has created, but I'm starting to wonder if he's still capable of making something that goes beyond just being good. If he does achieve that with Exodus, I will be delighted, but I await finding that out with trepidation.

Next Time (27th August)