Ladies and gentlemen yesterday we lost a true icon in the acting business. Robin Williams is one of the greatest actors to graze the silver screen and one of the greatest actors of our generation. He had a wide range of comedic and dramatic ability. He gave us performances that we will remember throughtout the rest of time. With that being said I'm going to give you my top 10 favorite Robin Williams Films to pay tribute to his masterful works. So without further ado...
10. Awakenings
This movin is just so moving and Inspirational).Something of a klutz and naif, Dr. Sayer (played by Robin Williams) takes a job at a Bronx psychiatric hospital in 1969. Here he's put in charge of several seemingly catatonic patients who, under Sayer's painstaking guidance, begin responding to certain stimulati. Apprised of the efficacy of a new drug called L-DOPA in treating degenerative-disease victims, Sayer is given permission to test the drug on one of his patients: Leonard Lowe (played by Robert De Niro), who has not communicated with anyone since lapsing into catatonia as a child. Gradually, Lowe comes out of his shell, encouraging Sayers to administer L-DOPA to the other patients under his care. Awakenings was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay and it has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Night at the Museum
This movie is entertaining and very funny. Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller) is a kind-hearted dreamer who always knew that he was destined for greatness, he just never quite knew how. None of his ideas or inventions has panned out, so with a heavy heart, he takes a regular job as a lowly graveyard-shift security guard at the Museum of Natural History in order to provide a more stable life for himself and his ten-year-old son. His first night on the job, however, he finds that guardianship of the museum is far from stable -- at nightfall, an Egyptian spell brings the artifacts and wax figures to life! With Attila the Hun charging to war through the hallways, the diorama miniatures embroiled in a deadly feud, and a two-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex nagging to play fetch, Larry has half a mind to turn tail and run. On top of cleaning up after two million years of historical chaos every night, he also has to make sure that not a single museum piece leaves the building -- from the bratty Capuchin monkey in the African exhibit, to the life-sized Neanderthal in the prehistoric display -- because if morning light falls on an escaped artifact, it will turn to dust. Larry turns to a wax replica of President Roosevelt (played by Robin Williams) for a little advice on keeping things in tact, but Teddy seems to think that a man of Larry's greatness needs little help. Larry isn't sure if the former commander in chief is right; this is hardly what he signed up for, but he can't pass up the chance to care for a museum where history really does come to life. Night at the Museum has a rating of 44% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. Flubber
This is possibly one of Disney's most underrated film and one of Williams most underrated performances. A Remake of ÒThe Absent-Minded ProfessorÓ finds Robin Williams concocting a physics-defying substance that may save his failing college. Uneven but good natured. Flubber has a rating of 23% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. One Hour Photo
This film is so haunting and so is Williams performance. Semour "Sy" Parrish (played by Robin Williams) runs the photo processing department at a large discount store; Sy is dedicated to his job, and takes great pride in his work. Sy's favorite customers are Nina and Will Yorkin (played by Connie Nielsen and Michael Vartan respectively), an attractive and cheerful young couple with a nine-year-old boy, Jake (played by Dylan Smith). Sy dotes on the Yorkins and their son whenever they drop off film to be processed -- something they've been doing quite often ever since Jake was born -- and Nina and Will are indulgent of Sy's attentions, regarding his as a harmless eccentric. What the Yorkins don't know is Sy is a desperately lonely man with no real life of his own, and he's been obsessively making copies of their photos, for years, imagining himself to be "Uncle Sy," a member of the family. Sy's tenuous hold on reality begins to collapse when he develops a roll of film brought in by a new customer that suggests Will has been unfaithful to Nina; the notion that his ideal family may be falling apart is troubling enough for Sy, and when he loses his job, Sy reaches the breaking point. One Hour Photo has a rating of 81% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. Good Morning Vietnam
This was the first film to show the world the Robin Williams can act. In 1965, disc jockey Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams) is assigned to take over the AFR's Saigon radio broadcasts. In contrast to the dull, by-rote announcers that have preceded him, Cronauer is a bundle of dynamite, heralding each broadcast with a loud "Goooooood morning, Vietnaaaaam," playing whatever records tickle his fancy (even those not officially sanctioned by his hidebound superiors), and indulging in wild flights of improvisational fancy. Cronauer's immediate superior Lt. Hauk (played by Bruno Kirby), whose own notions of humor are puerile and pathetic, jealously attempts to dethrone Vietnam's favorite rock jock. Fortunately, Cronauer's popularity is such that he enjoys the full protection of the higher-ups. But when Cronauer, after experiencing the horrors of war first-hand, insists upon telling his listeners the truth instead of the official government line, he is instantly replaced by the unfunny Hauk and must struggle to get back on the air. Good Morning Vietnam was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and it has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Mrs. Doubtfire
This is one of th funniest and has one most outrageous performances of all-time. Daniel Hillard (played by Robin Williams) is an eccentric actor who specializes in dubbing voices for cartoon characters. Daniel is a kind man and a loving father, but he's a poor disciplinarian and a shaky role model. After throwing an elaborate and disastrous birthday party for his son, Daniel's wife Miranda (played by Sally Field) reaches the end of her patience and files for divorce. Daniel is heartbroken when Miranda is given custody of the children, and he's only allowed to visit them once a week. Determined to stay in contact with his kids, Daniel learns that Miranda is looking for a housekeeper, and with help from his brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), a makeup artist, Daniel gets the job disguised as Mrs. Iphegenia Doubtfire, a stern but caring Scottish nanny. Daniel pulls off the ruse so well that neither his ex-wife nor his children recognize him, and in the process, he learns how to be the good parent he should have been all along. However, Daniel also has to deal with the little matter of Miranda's new boyfriend, Stu (played by Pierce Brosnan). Mrs. Doubtfire was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and it has a rating of 71% rottentomatoes.com.
4. Aladdin
This film is a masterpiece and it is one of the highest grossing films Disney Animation has ever had. After a sultan (voiced by Douglas Steele) gives his daughter, Jasmine (voiced by Linda Larkin), three days to find a husband, she escapes the palace and encounters the street-savvy urchin Aladdin (voiced by Scott Wienger), who climbs his way into her heart. While the sultan's Vizier, Jafar (voiced by Johnathan Freeman), waves a spell so that he may marry Jasmine and become sultan himself. Aladdin however discovers the Genie's lamp in a cave, rubs it and sets the mystical entity free, leading the Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) to pledge his undying loyalty to the dazzled youth. Aladdin begin his quest to defeat Jafar and win the hand of the princes, with the Genie's help. This film is just absolutely amazing. Aladdin also has two sequels entitled Return of Jafar and Aladdin and The King of Thieves , the film was also was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Original Score, two nominations for Original Song, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing while winning 2 (Best Original Score and Original Song) and has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Jumanji
I absolutely loved this movie when I was a kid and it is just absolutely amazing. 12-year-old Alan Parrish (played by Adam Hann-Byrd), who is trapped in Jumanji while playing the game with his friend Sarah (played by Laura Bell Bundy) in 1969. Twenty-six years later siblings Judy (played by Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (played by Bradley Pierce) begin playing and unwittingly release the now-adult Alan (played by Robin Williams). After tracking down Sarah (played by Bonnie Hunt), the quartet resolve to finish the game in order to undo all of the destruction it has wrought. Jumanji has a rating of 50% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Dead Poets Society
This is an inspiring film and it has one of the most underrated performances by an actor of all-time. In 1959, the Welton Academy is a staid but well-respected prep school where education is a pragmatic and rather dull affair. Several of the students, however, have their thoughts on the learning process (and life itself) changed when a new teacher comes to the school. John Keating (played by Robin Williams) is an unconventional educator who tears chapters of his textbooks and asks his students to stand on their desks to see the world from a new angle. Keating introduces his students to poetry, and his free-thinking attitude and the liberating philosophies of the authors he introduces to his class have a profound effect on his students, especially Todd (played by Ethan Hawke), who would like to be a writer; Neil (played by Robert Sean Leonard), who dreams of being an actor, despite the objections of his father; Knox (Josh Charles), a hopeless romantic; Steven (played by Allelon Ruggiero), an intellectual who learns to use his heart as well as his head; Charlie (played by Gale Hansen), who begins to lose his blasé attitude; unconventional Gerard (played by James Waterston); and practical Richard (played by Dylan Kussman). Keating urges his students to seize the day and live their lives boldly; but when this philosophy leads to an unexpected tragedy, headmaster Mr. Nolan (played by Norman Lloyd) fires Keating, and his students leap to his defense. Dead Poets Society was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay while winning 1 (Best Original Screenplay) and it has rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Good Will Hunting
This movie is so captivating and it has possibly on of the greatest performances by an actor of all-time. 20-year-old South Boston laborer Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon), an unrecognized genius who, as part of a deferred prosecution agreement after assaulting a police officer, becomes a patient of a therapist Dr. Sean Maguire (played by Robin Williams) and studies advanced mathematics with a renowned professor Gerald Lambeau (played by Stellan Skarsgård). Through his therapy sessions, Will re-evaluates his relationships with his best friend Chuckie (played by Ben Affleck), his girlfriend Skylar (played by Minnie Driver), and himself, facing the significant task of thinking about his future. Good Will Hunting was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Original Song while winning 2 (Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay) and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
10. Awakenings
This movin is just so moving and Inspirational).Something of a klutz and naif, Dr. Sayer (played by Robin Williams) takes a job at a Bronx psychiatric hospital in 1969. Here he's put in charge of several seemingly catatonic patients who, under Sayer's painstaking guidance, begin responding to certain stimulati. Apprised of the efficacy of a new drug called L-DOPA in treating degenerative-disease victims, Sayer is given permission to test the drug on one of his patients: Leonard Lowe (played by Robert De Niro), who has not communicated with anyone since lapsing into catatonia as a child. Gradually, Lowe comes out of his shell, encouraging Sayers to administer L-DOPA to the other patients under his care. Awakenings was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay and it has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Night at the Museum
This movie is entertaining and very funny. Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller) is a kind-hearted dreamer who always knew that he was destined for greatness, he just never quite knew how. None of his ideas or inventions has panned out, so with a heavy heart, he takes a regular job as a lowly graveyard-shift security guard at the Museum of Natural History in order to provide a more stable life for himself and his ten-year-old son. His first night on the job, however, he finds that guardianship of the museum is far from stable -- at nightfall, an Egyptian spell brings the artifacts and wax figures to life! With Attila the Hun charging to war through the hallways, the diorama miniatures embroiled in a deadly feud, and a two-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex nagging to play fetch, Larry has half a mind to turn tail and run. On top of cleaning up after two million years of historical chaos every night, he also has to make sure that not a single museum piece leaves the building -- from the bratty Capuchin monkey in the African exhibit, to the life-sized Neanderthal in the prehistoric display -- because if morning light falls on an escaped artifact, it will turn to dust. Larry turns to a wax replica of President Roosevelt (played by Robin Williams) for a little advice on keeping things in tact, but Teddy seems to think that a man of Larry's greatness needs little help. Larry isn't sure if the former commander in chief is right; this is hardly what he signed up for, but he can't pass up the chance to care for a museum where history really does come to life. Night at the Museum has a rating of 44% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. Flubber
This is possibly one of Disney's most underrated film and one of Williams most underrated performances. A Remake of ÒThe Absent-Minded ProfessorÓ finds Robin Williams concocting a physics-defying substance that may save his failing college. Uneven but good natured. Flubber has a rating of 23% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. One Hour Photo
This film is so haunting and so is Williams performance. Semour "Sy" Parrish (played by Robin Williams) runs the photo processing department at a large discount store; Sy is dedicated to his job, and takes great pride in his work. Sy's favorite customers are Nina and Will Yorkin (played by Connie Nielsen and Michael Vartan respectively), an attractive and cheerful young couple with a nine-year-old boy, Jake (played by Dylan Smith). Sy dotes on the Yorkins and their son whenever they drop off film to be processed -- something they've been doing quite often ever since Jake was born -- and Nina and Will are indulgent of Sy's attentions, regarding his as a harmless eccentric. What the Yorkins don't know is Sy is a desperately lonely man with no real life of his own, and he's been obsessively making copies of their photos, for years, imagining himself to be "Uncle Sy," a member of the family. Sy's tenuous hold on reality begins to collapse when he develops a roll of film brought in by a new customer that suggests Will has been unfaithful to Nina; the notion that his ideal family may be falling apart is troubling enough for Sy, and when he loses his job, Sy reaches the breaking point. One Hour Photo has a rating of 81% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. Good Morning Vietnam
This was the first film to show the world the Robin Williams can act. In 1965, disc jockey Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams) is assigned to take over the AFR's Saigon radio broadcasts. In contrast to the dull, by-rote announcers that have preceded him, Cronauer is a bundle of dynamite, heralding each broadcast with a loud "Goooooood morning, Vietnaaaaam," playing whatever records tickle his fancy (even those not officially sanctioned by his hidebound superiors), and indulging in wild flights of improvisational fancy. Cronauer's immediate superior Lt. Hauk (played by Bruno Kirby), whose own notions of humor are puerile and pathetic, jealously attempts to dethrone Vietnam's favorite rock jock. Fortunately, Cronauer's popularity is such that he enjoys the full protection of the higher-ups. But when Cronauer, after experiencing the horrors of war first-hand, insists upon telling his listeners the truth instead of the official government line, he is instantly replaced by the unfunny Hauk and must struggle to get back on the air. Good Morning Vietnam was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and it has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Mrs. Doubtfire
This is one of th funniest and has one most outrageous performances of all-time. Daniel Hillard (played by Robin Williams) is an eccentric actor who specializes in dubbing voices for cartoon characters. Daniel is a kind man and a loving father, but he's a poor disciplinarian and a shaky role model. After throwing an elaborate and disastrous birthday party for his son, Daniel's wife Miranda (played by Sally Field) reaches the end of her patience and files for divorce. Daniel is heartbroken when Miranda is given custody of the children, and he's only allowed to visit them once a week. Determined to stay in contact with his kids, Daniel learns that Miranda is looking for a housekeeper, and with help from his brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), a makeup artist, Daniel gets the job disguised as Mrs. Iphegenia Doubtfire, a stern but caring Scottish nanny. Daniel pulls off the ruse so well that neither his ex-wife nor his children recognize him, and in the process, he learns how to be the good parent he should have been all along. However, Daniel also has to deal with the little matter of Miranda's new boyfriend, Stu (played by Pierce Brosnan). Mrs. Doubtfire was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and it has a rating of 71% rottentomatoes.com.
4. Aladdin
This film is a masterpiece and it is one of the highest grossing films Disney Animation has ever had. After a sultan (voiced by Douglas Steele) gives his daughter, Jasmine (voiced by Linda Larkin), three days to find a husband, she escapes the palace and encounters the street-savvy urchin Aladdin (voiced by Scott Wienger), who climbs his way into her heart. While the sultan's Vizier, Jafar (voiced by Johnathan Freeman), waves a spell so that he may marry Jasmine and become sultan himself. Aladdin however discovers the Genie's lamp in a cave, rubs it and sets the mystical entity free, leading the Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) to pledge his undying loyalty to the dazzled youth. Aladdin begin his quest to defeat Jafar and win the hand of the princes, with the Genie's help. This film is just absolutely amazing. Aladdin also has two sequels entitled Return of Jafar and Aladdin and The King of Thieves , the film was also was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Original Score, two nominations for Original Song, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing while winning 2 (Best Original Score and Original Song) and has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
I absolutely loved this movie when I was a kid and it is just absolutely amazing. 12-year-old Alan Parrish (played by Adam Hann-Byrd), who is trapped in Jumanji while playing the game with his friend Sarah (played by Laura Bell Bundy) in 1969. Twenty-six years later siblings Judy (played by Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (played by Bradley Pierce) begin playing and unwittingly release the now-adult Alan (played by Robin Williams). After tracking down Sarah (played by Bonnie Hunt), the quartet resolve to finish the game in order to undo all of the destruction it has wrought. Jumanji has a rating of 50% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Dead Poets Society
This is an inspiring film and it has one of the most underrated performances by an actor of all-time. In 1959, the Welton Academy is a staid but well-respected prep school where education is a pragmatic and rather dull affair. Several of the students, however, have their thoughts on the learning process (and life itself) changed when a new teacher comes to the school. John Keating (played by Robin Williams) is an unconventional educator who tears chapters of his textbooks and asks his students to stand on their desks to see the world from a new angle. Keating introduces his students to poetry, and his free-thinking attitude and the liberating philosophies of the authors he introduces to his class have a profound effect on his students, especially Todd (played by Ethan Hawke), who would like to be a writer; Neil (played by Robert Sean Leonard), who dreams of being an actor, despite the objections of his father; Knox (Josh Charles), a hopeless romantic; Steven (played by Allelon Ruggiero), an intellectual who learns to use his heart as well as his head; Charlie (played by Gale Hansen), who begins to lose his blasé attitude; unconventional Gerard (played by James Waterston); and practical Richard (played by Dylan Kussman). Keating urges his students to seize the day and live their lives boldly; but when this philosophy leads to an unexpected tragedy, headmaster Mr. Nolan (played by Norman Lloyd) fires Keating, and his students leap to his defense. Dead Poets Society was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay while winning 1 (Best Original Screenplay) and it has rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Good Will Hunting
This movie is so captivating and it has possibly on of the greatest performances by an actor of all-time. 20-year-old South Boston laborer Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon), an unrecognized genius who, as part of a deferred prosecution agreement after assaulting a police officer, becomes a patient of a therapist Dr. Sean Maguire (played by Robin Williams) and studies advanced mathematics with a renowned professor Gerald Lambeau (played by Stellan Skarsgård). Through his therapy sessions, Will re-evaluates his relationships with his best friend Chuckie (played by Ben Affleck), his girlfriend Skylar (played by Minnie Driver), and himself, facing the significant task of thinking about his future. Good Will Hunting was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Original Song while winning 2 (Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay) and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite Robin Williams films and what did you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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