Review of The Fisher King (1991) by Robert H — 11 Sep 2014

While not the absolute best I've seen from Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges or Terry Gilliam, THE FISHER KING is still wonderful tale of friendship, love, and loss. Jeff Bridges plays Jack Lucas, a rather callous shock jock who makes a rather offhand remark that influences a listener to commit a murder-suicide.

Robin Williams is Parry, a homeless man whose life was severely affected by that act. As the film progresses, the two of them come together and help each other deal with loss in their own ways. While the theme of loss, and accepting it in order to move on, is a subject that's been shown many times in film, Terry Gilliam finds a way to make it seem fresh with his wit and unmistakable cinematic style, even though it's toned down here considerably.

Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams also give outstanding performances that are properly nuanced and full of emotional depth. There is also several really funny scenes which showcase Robin Williams gift for humor, despite not being as manic as he can be.

Here, his "insanity" is a cover for some deeply held emotion regarding his past (not unlike many comics in real life whose gift for humor masks very real pain). Jeff Bridges also has pain of his own, in the form of guilt over that incident which resulted from his on-air comment.

The journey on which these two go, represented in Parry's mind by a quest for a holy grail (Monty Python?) was fascinating and gripping. Gilliam also gets to indulge in some fantastical imagery, as Parry imagines himself a knight with an evil, fiery Red Knight in pursuit of him.

However, despite whatever trappings the story might come in, the performances are what make the film. Also of note is Mercedes Ruehl, who also turns in an outstanding showing as Jack's live-in girlfriend (technicallly, he's her live-in boyfriend).

I read online that she won a Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, and from what I witnessed she definitely deserved it. If there's one issue I take with the story, it's that it perpetuates the movie stereotype of the wise and wacky homeless man, even though Robin Williams plays it so well.

Overall, it was a pleasantly satisfying experience that spoke to me on a personal level, and that I enjoyed watching.