Review of The Fisher King (1991) by Alvin Y — 19 Apr 2010

The Fisher King is a strange, beautiful experience. Terry Gilliam is a brilliantly warped genius (excluding that wretched Fear and Loathing to Tideland phase), and The Fisher King is one of his most heartfelt and absorbing. As always, Gilliam's style is wildly trippy and unpredictable - many scenes here are jaw-droppingly beautiful and inventive. But despite all the awesome Gilliam wackiness, The Fisher King is surprisingly humane and touching, mostly due to the all-around phenomenal performances. Jeff Bridges is pitch-perfect, completely believable as a self-centered asshole yet someone who is somehow impossible to dislike. Robin Williams gives what is probably his best performance - he's bizarre and hilarious, but a deeply tragic character at the same time. Mercedes Ruehl, who I've never seen in anything else before, is absolutely wonderful. She's earthy, sexy, and passionate, creating a character who is easy to fall in love with - Ruehl deservedly won a Supporting Actress Oscar. Amanda Plummer is also fantastic (I'm starting to sound a bit like a broken record) as a super-awkward but kindhearted woman. Add in strange small roles from Michael Jeter and Tom Waits, and you have The Fisher King's rich, compelling cast of lovable, deeply damaged weirdos. Watching these characters grow is a hilarious, tragic, surreal, and entirely rewarding experience.

My ratings of Gilliam movies:

1. Brazil - 10.

2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 9.

3. 12 Monkeys - 9.

4. The Fisher King - 9.

5. Adventures of Baron Munchausen - 9.

6. Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - 9.

7. Time Bandits - 7.

8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - 5.

9. Brothers Grimm - 3.

10000. Tideland - 1.