The Fisher King

Python Terry Gilliam directed The Fisher King in 1991. A dramedy that stars Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer and Michael Jeter, it did fairly well at the box office with a $41 million gross. Williams was nominated for Best Actor, won the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy and Ruehl won Best Supporting Actress.

Cynical shock jock talk radio host Jack Lucas (Bridges) becomes despondent after his on-air comments prompt a depressed caller to commit several murders. Three years later, he attempts suicide but is attacked and saved by Parry (Williams), a homeless man on a mission to find the Holy Grail.

This is one of Williams’ more bizarre and weird films, which makes sense as the director was the one who added the most surreal elements of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Taking the director into account, the film really does seem to be aware of how bizarre it is, which really lets Williams be himself.

On the surface, you would never think that a film about a homeless guy looking for the Holy Grail and saw a Red Knight whenever he had an ounce of self-confidence would have any sort of success. But what could have amounted to that success was that Gilliam knew how bizarre the film was going to be and directed it to be serious enough to play the mental health of Parry and the other homeless people for laughs while at the same time coming around to say that they’re still people. They all had moments that made them into what they are and they all have the same wants and needs.

This is also probably what allowed Williams to just act like a crazier version of himself, such as when he strips naked and dances in a park in the middle of the night. He doesn’t care, he’s just happy to be alive. Williams also does well in acting like he sees things that aren’t really there, like how the Red Knight terrifies him or how he keeps talking to people who don’t exist.

The Fisher King is a bizarre movie, yet, it really gets its point across without a sledgehammer and is quite a good film.