“My heart is so broken right now. Robin Williams was such a big part of my childhood and my life. I grew up watching his films, and have always considered him one of my absolute favorites. It’s so sad to think that there won’t be any more of his genius to share. This morning, while going about my start of day routine, I just found so many reminders. My eyes kept falling on random films of his on my movie shelf, and I’ve got a pretty big chunk of his work. There’s the large Aladdin poster in my room with a prominent picture of the Genie. I’m just in such a daze, mourning the loss of a beloved icon. I’m reading thru tributes and finding that so many of his movies touched so many people in different ways. I can’t call out just one or two or even six works of his that I feel a connection to. I have to go down the line.
Mork & Mindy – I grew up on Nick at Nite, and Mork and Mindy was a favorite. I’ve meant to incorporate more of Mork’s slang into my vocab, and I think now more than ever I need to make that effort. I remember getting in trouble for trying to sit on chairs like Mork, and staying up late watching episodes with my Daddy. This show is just classic and timeless.
Dead Poets Society – I’ve only seen this once or twice, so it definitely deserves a rewatch in the near future. But I have people close to me who have such a strong emotional connection to this film. Even if I don’t have that directly, I certainly do by proxy.
Hook – What other adult could have possibly captured the child-like spirit of Peter Pan? Williams was the heart and soul of this movie that I watched over and over. Well, watched over and over once I got over the fear from the “”boo box”” scene the first time. But he was the magic in this magical movie. Bangarang, Peter.
Aladdin – I think we all know how much this movie means to me, as I’m sitting here wearing an Aladdin tshirt. Would I have loved this as much as I do without what Williams contributed as the Genie? Probably not. He poured his soul into what was his ultimate perfect role, and not only did he made an incredible film, but he changed the landscape of animation and children’s films completely. I changed my FB profile pic to Aladdin hugging a tearful Genie goodbye, and then I started crying when I saw a similar pic captioned “”Genie, you’re free””
Mrs Doubtfire – Certainly a big favorite in my family, and one that we watched over and over. Just a flawless family film. Heartfelt and hilarious. They really don’t make them like this anymore, and part of me doesn’t really want them to. This will live on forever.
Jumanji – I almost wasn’t allowed to see this one. The parents thought the concept reminded them too much of a Ouija board, so I wasn’t going to be able to see this “”demonic”” movie. Then a friend’s mom suggested we have a mother/daughter outing for it, and I guess my mom felt it was more Christian to be friendly and outgoing (especially to someone who I don’t think got out much) than to condem one little old movie.
The Birdcage – I was so confused when this came out. To this point, I always knew Williams as a family actor. So why did he have a Rated R movie that I couldn’t see? And why was it Rated R? And why did he have that mustache? I was so upset. Years later, I did finally see this and I adored it. It’s a nice and different turn to see him as the straight actor (so to speak) and letting someone else run away with the show.
Aladdin and the King of Thieves – The Genie made a triumphant return!
Good Will Hunting – What Bostonian doesn’t know and love this film? Especially one with such strong ties to MIT? Williams is known for his comedy, but it’s his dramatic acting that gives us his strongest performance. He deserved all the love and awards he won for this one, and our city has shown him so much love for it. We forgive the accent because compared to everything else he did in the role, that didn’t matter.
What Dreams May Come – It hurts just to put this in the context of what happened to him. It’s another one I should rewatch, but I don’t know that I can. Such stunning imagery that it took me a while to appreciate, getting hung up on the plot and other trivial details
Patch Adams – For me, this one felt like Robin was coming home. It was the type of role I loved him for, and he delivered exactly what I’d hoped. My Mom bought herself a copy of this that I may have stolen from her when I left for college.
One Hour Photo – The film may not have the best rep, but I was completely drawn in. We’d never seen this creepy side of Williams before. Again, no secret that I love a dark and messed up film, and this completely turned my world upside down.
Death to Smoochy – When I hear the term “”dark comedy””, this is the ultimate example. By this point, I had come to recognize Williams as an adult actor, and not just a comedian in family fare. I love everything about this. It’s so twisted and insane and does not hold back. Rainbow Randolf deserves to be in the hall of fame of great comic characters
Did you ever see his Inside the Actors Studio episode? I can only ever watch an episode of that show for so long before it gets dull, even with some of my favorites, but Robin Williams’ appearance was something else. He basically just went off improv-ing, turning the whole thing into an off the cuff stand up act, and the ep is twice as long as they usually are.
I actually did get to see his stand up show live once, a few years back. This was during his Weapons of Self Destruction tour. I usually consider Eddie Izzard to be my favorite stand up comedian, but I spent the next few weeks (and really to this day) telling anyone who would listen how much Williams just completely kicked his ass. The show was just non-stop.
There’s just so much more, and yet I’ll still mourn what never was. This one will take me some time to get over, but for now all I can do is be grateful for what he did give us”