I was watching him being interviewed on Inside the Actors Studio and the guy was simply amazy. Does he have an incredibly quick mind? Obviously he is a genious of sorts....

Unfortunately, it doesn't extend to his movies, where he has a "reverse Midas-touch" thing going on. In fact, he seems to be in a race with Steve Martin to see who can produce the worst body of work, as compared to their earlier, greater films.

( Steve Martin is in the lead...)

I don't know, I like some of Williams' newer stuff. The Final Cut was good, and One Hour Photo was at the very least interresting. I haven't seen Robots or The Big White, or anything since Final Cut, though. I think he's just trying to do some movies he finds more interesting, instead of necessarily entertaining to large audiences. I mean, there are only so many times the man can do Mrs Doubtfire (and I'm hoping that number is 2).

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"The plan does not involve mayonaise."
"... I knew there was a catch."

You can't take the sky from me.

Earlier stuff is beter, my faves being Dead Poet's Society and Good Morning Vietnam; though I think the funniest part of that one is the guy who thinks he's funny but isn't.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I'm probably alone, but I still think Hook is his best work.

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Do try not to take me too seriously.

He's one of the few actors out there with the kind of emotional range to make that work. Going from a manic real estate investor screaming bloody murder into a cellphone to the eternal child, then halfway back again.

I like Awakenings myself. A real sincere drama with just a touch of his natural goofiness that added depth to the character, rather than trivializing it.

His comedy is pure adrenalized mental agility.

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I'm not completely heartless, the doctor who removed it told me he'd never be able to get it all.

Okay Don, here's my list. See if my ratings sync up with yours. I've constructed the list per IMDB's listing, and removed any television or voice-work, as well as very minor (uncredited) parts. I fully realize that voice-acting is somewhat demanding, but it's not really the same as real movie acting. Television is really about run of the mill. Early flashes of brilliance with "Mork & Mindy" and Jonathan Winters specials gave way to appearances on "Friends" and dramas.

See what you think:
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Robin Williams Filmography & Ratings

1. The Big White (2005) .... Paul Barnell N/A (not rated)
2. House of D (2004) .... Pappass 65/100 (mediocre)
3. The Final Cut (2004) .... Alan W. Hakman 72/100 (average)
4. Insomnia (2002) .... Walter Finch 70/100 (lackluster)
5. Death to Smoochy (2002) .... 'Rainbow' Randolph Smiley 44/100 (poor)
6. One Hour Photo (2002) .... Sy Parrish 78/100 (engaging, but weak)
7. Bicentennial Man (1999) .... Andrew Martin 8/100 (unwatchable; beyond torture)
8. Jakob the Liar (1999) .... Jakob Heym/Narrator 50/100 (mildly bad)
9. Patch Adams (1998) .... Hunter 'Patch' Adams 35/100 (painful)
10. What Dreams May Come (1998) .... Chris Nielsen 42/100 (not good)
11. Good Will Hunting (1997) .... Sean Maguire 66/100 (wishy-washy)
12. Flubber (1997) .... Professor Philip Brainard 30/100 (very painful)
13. Deconstructing Harry (1997) .... Mel/Harry's Character 45/100 (poor)
14. Fathers' Day (1997) .... Dale Putley 27/100 (abomination)
15. Hamlet (1996) .... Osric 36/100 (painful)
16. The Secret Agent (1996) (as George Spelvin) .... The Professor N/A (not rated)
17. Jack (1996) .... Jack Charles Powell 2/100 (approaching worst of all-time)
18. The Birdcage (1996) .... Armand Goldman 88/100 (very good)
19. Jumanji (1995) .... Alan Parrish 37/100 (hurting)
20. Nine Months (1995) .... Dr. Kosevich 40/100 (forgettable)
21. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) .... Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire 25/100 (abomination)
22. Being Human (1993) .... Hector N/A (not rated)
23. Toys (1992) .... Leslie Zevo 11/100 (torture)
24. Shakes the Clown (1992) (as Marty Fromage) .... Mime Class Instructor N/A (not rated)
25. Hook (1991) .... Peter Panning/Peter Pan 76 (passably good)
26. The Fisher King (1991) .... Parry 92/100 (greatish)
27. Dead Again (1991) .... Doctor Cozy Carlisle 39/100 (forgettable)
28. Awakenings (1990) .... Dr. Malcolm Sayer 57/100 (lamentable)
29. Cadillac Man (1990) .... Joey O'Brien 18/100 (Jay Leno-esque)
30. Dead Poets Society (1989) .... John Keating 84/100 (good)
31. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) (as Ray D. Tutto) .... King of the Moon 15/100 (oh the humanity)
32. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) .... A2C Adrian Cronauer 96/100 (all-time favorite)
33. Seize the Day (1986) .... Tommy Wilhelm N/A (not rated)
34. Club Paradise (1986) .... Jack Moniker 21/100 (against the Geneva Convention - bad)
35. The Best of Times (1986) .... Jack Dundee 67/100 (average)
36. Moscow on the Hudson (1984) .... Vladimir Ivanoff 88/100 (very good)
37. The Survivors (1983) .... Donald Quinelle 36/100 (very hurting)
38. The World According to Garp (1982) .... T. S. Garp 90/100 (outstanding)
39. Popeye (1980) .... Popeye 90/100 (outstanding)
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and per my earlier comparison:

Steve Martin Filmography & Ratings

1. The Pink Panther (2006) .... Inspector Jacques Clouseau 38/100 (terrible)
2. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) .... Tom Baker 13/100 (torture)
3. Shopgirl (2005) .... Ray Porter N/A (not rated)
4. Meat Pie (2005) .... Oofta-Poofter #2 N/A (not rated)
5. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) .... Tom Baker 26/100 (dreck)
6. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) .... Mr. Chairman 40/100 (forgettable)
7. Bringing Down the House (2003) .... Peter Sanderson 19/100 (torture)
8. Novocaine (2001) .... Dr. Frank Sangster 37/100 (better to watch paint dry)
9. Joe Gould's Secret (2000) .... Charlie Duell N/A (not rated)
10. Bowfinger (1999) .... Bobby Bowfinger 32/100 (very painful)
11. The Out-of-Towners (1999) .... Henry Clark 26/100 (abomination)
12. The Spanish Prisoner (1997) .... Julian 'Jimmy' Dell 64/100 (mediocre)
13. Sgt. Bilko (1996) .... Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko 19/100 (torture)
14. Father of the Bride Part II (1995) .... George Banks 40/100 (forgettable)
15. Mixed Nuts (1994) .... Philip 60/100 (bad)
16. A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) .... Michael McCann 51/100 (mildly bad)
17. Leap of Faith (1992) .... Jonas Nightengale 71/100 (average)
18. HouseSitter (1992) .... Newton Davis 56/100 (sad)
19. Grand Canyon (1991) .... Davis 48/100 (pretty bad)
20. Father of the Bride (1991) .... George Stanley Banks 36/100 (terrible)
21. L.A. Story (1991) .... Harris K. Telemacher 82/100 (good)
22. My Blue Heaven (1990) .... Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli 71/100 (weak, but passable)
23. Parenthood (1989) .... Gil Buckman 80/100 (above average)
24. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) .... Freddy Benson 84/100 (good)
25. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) .... Neal Page 87/100 (very good)
26. Roxanne (1987) .... C.D. Bales 93/100 (great)
27. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) .... Orin Scrivello, DDS 92/100 (greatish)
28. ¡Three Amigos! (1986) .... Lucky Day 46/100 (poor - but Martin Short factored into score)
29. Movers & Shakers (1985) .... Fabio Longio N/A (not rated)
30. All of Me (1984) .... Roger Cobb 79/100 (okay-good)
31. The Lonely Guy (1984) .... Larry Hubbard 87/100 (good)
32. The Man with Two Brains (1983) .... Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr 96/100 (excellent-high honors)
33. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) .... Rigby Reardon 90/100 (very good)
34. Pennies from Heaven (1981) .... Arthur Parker 85 (good)
35. The Jerk (1979) (also as Pig Eye Jackson) .... Navin R. Johnson/Cat, Juggler/Pig Eye Jackson/Engineer Fred 92/100 (very good)
36. The Muppet Movie (1979) .... Insolent Waiter 74/100 (average)
37. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) .... Dr. Maxwell Edison 87 (greatish)
38. The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977) .... Steven 90/100 (very good)

you gave Awakenings a 57???

Yeah, it was pretty weak. True story, I know. But it was poorly written with love affairs and no real "hook". Williams was uninspired, and if he was meant to inspire sappiness and praise, then he failed. At least opposite the one-trick-pony, DeNiro, who can't even look good playing the addled kid-brained patient (Hollywood actors are grossly overrated for playing mentally-handicapped characters).

Moscow on the Hudson and The World According to Garp were great. Years of cocaine abuse and manic-depression have taken a toll on Williams' performance.

It seems to me that Williams is a brilliant comic, and a damn good dramatic actor. IMO his comedy doesn't translate readily to the big screen and his best roles in the movies have been dramatic roles.

uh, williams gave up the coke shortly after belushi died. now the manic-depression part, i know nothing about.

taks

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goodbye richard pryor :(...

hook 2 is supposedly in the works.

i think the shows where they say "here's a story line, go with it" are the best. examples are: good morning vietnam, aladdin and robots (is that the correct title?). the robots one was hilarious, though certainly childish. who am i kidding, i'm only 5 anyway...

taks

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goodbye richard pryor :(...

What a list. Forgot about many of those. Good Will Hunting was another fave.

I have to admit to hardly seeing anything newer than about 1998. Kids.

Speaking of which, the only one we have is Jumanji, which my kids love - and I think is pretty cool too.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

My ex-wife is that way. It is just part of who they are. I've asked her many times how she does it and she'd always tell me it just happens.

oh, btw, in general, i agree that both martin and williams were better early on. maybe it's just because once you understand the type of humor a comedian puts forward, it is no longer fresh enough to be interesting. comedic actors usually fail at serious attempts (my opinion) as you always expect a joke akin to the rest of their work (though williams does have some good dramatic work under his belt).

eddie murphy is another good example of this. i can barely watch him recently.

taks

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goodbye richard pryor :(...

And I personally really like Death to Smoochie. While I'll freely admit that certain roles by both actors are considered universally bad (please get me started on Cheaper by the Dozen, especially in comparison to the true story on which it's theoretically based), I think the real issue is that, well, Robin Williams's tastes don't align with yours. Or mine. Or anyone's but Robin Williams's, naturally.

However, I do consider Robin Williams to be one of the great underrated actors of our era, Oscar notwithstanding. Let's face it, most people think of him as the Genie from Aladdin, right? Or Adrian Cronauer, forgetting the dramatic elements of that role. (Robots was cute, but no real stretch for the man.) They forget that Dead Poets Society was very much a dramatic role with funny bits, as opposed to Good Morning, Vietnam, which was a funny role with dramatic bits.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

I should couch my comments, perhaps. Robin Williams is still incredibly funny, and a genius. I had suspected his body of work had been in decline long before "Death to Smoochy", yet one night in 2002 or 2003, I caught an HBO comedy special he did, and it was every bit as good and funnier than any of his material previously.

But I disagree on your point that all comedic actors decline, once their public considers them no longer so fresh. Peter Sellers and Groucho Marx kept it up, reinventing themselves, and keeping their audiences interested. If you want a modern example, Mike Myers or Bruce Campbell continue to impress and innovate.

Well, legal problems, one too many kid's movie, and divorce all took their toll. Fortunately, his older brother Charlie Murphy seems to have taken over the mantle (ironically, he was in the putrid "Bowfinger" with Steve Martin too). Anyway, I thought you were 5- how can you even remember "good" Eddie Murphy ?

Of course, yes. If he wants to do roles he considers important, that's fine. The same with kid-movies. But at some point, you have to be able to say, "Robin Williams's standard has gone down- look, he's making Mrs. Doubtfire 2."

Underrated ? I don't think so. Perhaps if there was, in America- the land of award shows, a film-and-screen comedy award equivalent to the Academy Awards, then yes, sure.

I graded Good Morning Vietnam, and Dead Poets Society higher, don't worry. It's not a straight-line decline in quality, but it sure is a pretty convincing trend. Comedians take safer and easier roles, as their careers progress. They no longer innovate, or try to see if their stock humor is still popular enough. It seems in Hollywood, the trend is: Stand-up ---> Few Movies ---> Sitcom. I expect we'll see Adam Sandler in an ABC or CBS show any day now...

If you really want a challenge, list and grade all of Michael Caine's movies, and see if you can spot a decline. I'd bet there is one, but that it's more slight, and difficult to see, since there'd be such a huge population...