Many of us had a love-hate relationship with Robin Williams. In one sense he represented the best of what we could be: energetic, enthusiastic, hilarious, intelligent, warm, soulful, and mad in the best possible way.
But then Robin Williams made some excruciating movies. I could list things like Hook and Father's Day all day long, but it would be painful. I really couldn't stand Mork and Mindy either.
And there are the roles that made us love the man. The World According To Garp, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, The Fisher King.
No one could really call Williams a horror actor, but he did some decidedly dark movies (and characters) in the latter part of his career. Robin was chilling in One Hour Photo and Insomnia. He made us laugh even while we felt guilty about it in World's Best Dad.
Of course there was his well-publicized depression. The reports of nasty drunkenness and drug abuse. Allegations of plagiarism.
A complex individual, was Robin Williams, and one who commanded strong reactions.
As for the accusations of plagiarism, I think they are partly true and partly not. It's almost certain that Williams "borrowed" materials from other comics, but I don't believe it was intentional. The man would go a mile a minute, with riffs and characters exploding from his mind. Let's face it, Robin's material was never that great. It was the man himself we loved. Especially in his stand-up routines. The boyish charm, the boundless energy, the voices he employed. The best jokes in the world will fall flat in the act of a dead performer. Williams had the delivery. The timing. The charming insanity.
Robin Williams was man everyone wanted for a friend. He gave all he could until there was nothing left for himself.
The brilliant and tragic life of Robin Williams is illumined in a biography, appropriately called Robin, written by David Itzkoff.
Robin is a very well-written and intimately detailed tour through the life of Robin Williams. Itzkoff doesn't shy away from the hard stuff, but he doesn't exploit it either. For us to understand the life of the man, we need to weigh in every aspect of it.
I think we need to examine the life of Robin Williams. Those of us who sort of grew up with him anyway. Most of us see elements of our own personalities in Robin. We see it in our moments of childlike humor, in our empathy, and in deep sadness.
Robin Williams was a part of our lives, and many of us took him for granted. We thought he would always be there. Putting out silly comedies, gifting us with poignant roles, showing up on talk shows.
And when he was gone, part of every one of us died.
Written by Mark Sieber
But then Robin Williams made some excruciating movies. I could list things like Hook and Father's Day all day long, but it would be painful. I really couldn't stand Mork and Mindy either.
And there are the roles that made us love the man. The World According To Garp, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, The Fisher King.
No one could really call Williams a horror actor, but he did some decidedly dark movies (and characters) in the latter part of his career. Robin was chilling in One Hour Photo and Insomnia. He made us laugh even while we felt guilty about it in World's Best Dad.
Of course there was his well-publicized depression. The reports of nasty drunkenness and drug abuse. Allegations of plagiarism.
A complex individual, was Robin Williams, and one who commanded strong reactions.
As for the accusations of plagiarism, I think they are partly true and partly not. It's almost certain that Williams "borrowed" materials from other comics, but I don't believe it was intentional. The man would go a mile a minute, with riffs and characters exploding from his mind. Let's face it, Robin's material was never that great. It was the man himself we loved. Especially in his stand-up routines. The boyish charm, the boundless energy, the voices he employed. The best jokes in the world will fall flat in the act of a dead performer. Williams had the delivery. The timing. The charming insanity.
Robin Williams was man everyone wanted for a friend. He gave all he could until there was nothing left for himself.
The brilliant and tragic life of Robin Williams is illumined in a biography, appropriately called Robin, written by David Itzkoff.
Robin is a very well-written and intimately detailed tour through the life of Robin Williams. Itzkoff doesn't shy away from the hard stuff, but he doesn't exploit it either. For us to understand the life of the man, we need to weigh in every aspect of it.
I think we need to examine the life of Robin Williams. Those of us who sort of grew up with him anyway. Most of us see elements of our own personalities in Robin. We see it in our moments of childlike humor, in our empathy, and in deep sadness.
Robin Williams was a part of our lives, and many of us took him for granted. We thought he would always be there. Putting out silly comedies, gifting us with poignant roles, showing up on talk shows.
And when he was gone, part of every one of us died.
Written by Mark Sieber
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