Review of The Fisher King (1991) by Conor M — 12 May 2009

With director Terry Gilliam, it pretty much goes one of two ways: you either think he's a controversial genius or a pretentious hack. With The Fisher King, Gilliam goes about as far into the mainstream as he ever did, all without losing his singular inventiveness or sense of whimsy.

Jeff Bridges plays radio shock-jock Jack Lucas, driven to despair after one of his remarks caused a listener to go on a murdering rampage in an upscale bar. After being attacked by some punks, he's saved by Parry, a homeless man who lost is wife in that same rampage and suffered a mental breakdown.

Contrived? Well sure, but it is a fable, after all. And a beautiful one, often funny, romantic, and surreal, but just as often harsh and even frightening. Robin Williams is manic brilliance as Parry, and Bridges is great as the cynical Jack.

Mercedes Ruehl is also funny and fierce as Jack's girlfriend Anne. In lesser hands, the seemingly improbable happy ending would have been Hollywood overload, but Gilliam injects the story with the humor, heart, and guts it needs.