Robin Williams - Not Funny

[Fiddle Peghead]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I love RW in Dead Poet's Society and Good Morning Vietnam, but the guy in his stand up routines, and his talk show appearances has never made me laugh. The rapid-fire jokes, the ridiculous mugging, for me pretty much justs adds up to a bucket of suck. And please, rolling around in a swimming pool of spaghetti, what demented agent advised him on taking that role?

Resolved: Robin Williams, not funny!

[Huerta88]

Seconded. But what are we going to do about it?

[OtakuLoki]

Well, we've got this facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which should be shortly looking for new tenants...

[runner pat]

Well, we've got this facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which should be shortly looking for new tenants...

I thought we were not going to torture the prisoners anymore.

[2ply]

I concur with the sentiment. Word on the street is he steals jokes. (http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/02/take_the_funny_and_run_1.php) Even if he doesn't, I've never found anything he says to be funny, it all comes off like a long stream of unclever gook.

[Stephe96]

Someone on Howard Stern once said that William's idea of comedy is that "everything is funny if you just say it in a funny voice!"

[A Dodgy Dude]

Thirded (?)

Before I started changing the channel anytime he was a guest on a talk show, I would turn into Howard Stern's father, screaming at him, "Sit down! Shut up!"

[Markxxx]

I never got him either. He reminds me of a five year old jumping up and down saying "Look at me," hoping if he says enough stupid things, eventually something he yells will pass for funny

[Beware of Doug]

Back about 1979, when Robin was still best known as Mork, he had a pretty hilarious Lp entitled Reality, What A Concept. This gave me many happy hours of listening as a pre-teen.

Since then, yeah, he mostly sucks. Seems like what he really wanted all along was just to be Taken Seriously as a Serious Actor...which, when you're a gonzo standup comedian, basically means, "Time to sell out and become a schmalzy latter-day Danny Kaye, a defanged satyr figure beloved of The Industry and free of any disturbing creativity."

[DSYoungEsq]

Actually, he's quite funny. But you have to be intelligent to get it. ;)

[The Second Stone]

I thought we were not going to torture the prisoners anymore.

It wouldn't be torture for any other prisoners since Williams would be the only prisoner there. The guards would be tortured though.

[WarmNPrickly]

I think he's had his moments. He hasn't been terribly funny recently, but isn't that the way most comedians go. They are always funniest in their coked up youth. They never recapture it once they've lost it.

[Fiddle Peghead]

I concur with the sentiment. Word on the street is he steals jokes. (http://www.radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/02/take_the_funny_and_run_1.php) Even if he doesn't, I've never found anything he says to be funny, it all comes off like a long stream of unclever gook.

Unclever Gook. Yes, the best description of RW that I have ever heard.

Unclever Gook" band name!

[Fiddle Peghead]

Actually, he's quite funny. But you have to be intelligent to get it. ;)

Guess I'm a total dumbass.

[madmonk28]

I'm glad someone finally said it; the man is not funny.

[freckafree]

Yes, thank you. Count me in the "RW not funny" group.

[astro]

It's all taste. Some people love the antic stuff, others the more drawn out skits (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPCB5sAQKa0).

[Onomatopoeia]

Hah! You guys are late. I've been wondering what the attraction is for Robin Williams for years, and posted as much here in June of 2006 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7505623&postcount=68). He's horrible in any comedic situation or movie. The man is simply not funny. Period. Whatever comedic ability he did have died with Mork and Mindy. His career's running on fumes.

[Kolga]

I think he has moments. I was watching a DVD of his recently that my boyfriend owns, and he did this bit about the Crusades, where (I'm paraphrasing from memory) he said the residents of Jerusalem reacted to the Christians by saying "Hide the women and the children and the number zero!" That bit cracked me up.

But I think his moments are few and far between.

[Hippy Hollow]

He's one of those bizarro guys who kicks ass at dramatic roles (I have loved him in every film where he plays a character that is not Robin Williams) but he strikes me as a hairy, criminally unfunny presence.

He's got the lisping gay voice, the sassy black woman voice... and am I missing any others? The stream of consciousness coked-up one liners grate. If that's how people on coke really act, I think you have the best possible anti-drug message in Mr. Williams.

[Charlie Tan]

He's one of those bizarro guys who kicks ass at dramatic roles
Huh?

The Night Listener?
Bicentennial Man?
Jakob the Liar?
Patch Adams?
What Dreams May Come?


:shudder:

[Shamozzle]

Generally, he does suck. However, his Broadway(?) DVD has some good moments and the piece where he parodies going down on a woman and all its perils is pretty damn funny.

[Hippy Hollow]

Huh?

The Night Listener?
Bicentennial Man?
Jakob the Liar?
Patch Adams?
What Dreams May Come?


:shudder:

Maybe not all of them, but I give you:

Dead Poets Society
Good Will Hunting
One Hour Photo

...and I liked What Dreams May Come!

[AngelSoft]

Ugh my entire family LOVES him and they think I'm a complete humor-less fool because I don't. Their theory is he isn't 'British enough' for me, since I like a lot of British comedies. No, I don't like him because I find him loud, annoying and just plain stupid. Of course, I'm biased because I think impressions are the lowest form of comedy and can't stand watching any comic who uses those as the base of their comedy.

[DMark]

My SO loathes him and makes me turn the channel when he is on television.

I think he can be funny, but have to admit he is turning into a one-trick pony with his riffs.

His films of late suck big time...it is as if he just can't say no to any film offer, no matter how bad...and then the directors think, "let Robin go off on his tangents, it has to be comedy gold!" Wrong.

Has has done a few really good films in the past, so who knows, maybe he'll do another one someday.

[Freudian Slit]

Huh?

The Night Listener?
Bicentennial Man?
Jakob the Liar?
Patch Adams?
What Dreams May Come?


:shudder:

I've seen parts of World According to Garp. He was pretty good in it. I liked him in Good Morning, Vietnam...not sure if that counts as super serious, though. He did get a lot of praise for Dead Poets Society. I'm not sure if this counts as "kicking ass," though.

[Snooooopy]

He's got the lisping gay voice, the sassy black woman voice... and am I missing any others?

He also does a big, loud, shouty black man.

[Hostile Dialect]

I see it the opposite way: I've laughed at his standup, but I really don't see the point of Good Morning Vietnam.

Fascinating and well-written article, BTW. I hadn't read Radar before, but I'm hooked now.

The stream of consciousness coked-up one liners grate. If that's how people on coke really act, I think you have the best possible anti-drug message in Mr. Williams.

Yeah, of course everyone on coke is exactly like a specific well-known comedian. Nevermind that probably half the people in the comedy scene in the 80s and 90s was on coke at some point and they don't all act like Robin Williams.

[madmonk28]

He's one of those bizarro guys who kicks ass at dramatic roles (I have loved him in every film where he plays a character that is not Robin Williams) but he strikes me as a hairy, criminally unfunny presence.

He's got the lisping gay voice, the sassy black woman voice... and am I missing any others? The stream of consciousness coked-up one liners grate. If that's how people on coke really act, I think you have the best possible anti-drug message in Mr. Williams. Let's not forget the southern faith healer which scientists have determined was only funny once at exactly 3.34 pm, September 9, 1982; but which Mr. Williams has been doing professionally for well over 20 years.

[Oswald Bastable]

Their theory is he isn't 'British enough' for me, since I like a lot of British comedies. No, I don't like him because I find him loud, annoying and just plain stupid.

Without being rude, that is the very definition of not British... :cool:

OB

[Khadaji]

Robin Williams not funny
Sun Bright
Birds Fly
Fish Swim

[Kalhoun]

Generally, he does suck. However, his Broadway(?) DVD has some good moments and the piece where he parodies going down on a woman and all its perils is pretty damn funny.

I was going to mention this bit. Fucking hilarious.

I agree, he can be hot and cold, but mostly I like him.

[twickster]

Robin Williams was very, very funny for a couple of years in the late '70s, although admittedly he's been coasting on the rep created then for the 30 years since. So "is not" I'll give you, but "and never has been" is just wrong.

[singular1]

Fascinating and well-written article, BTW. I hadn't read Radar before, but I'm hooked now.

Sorry, unless you want back issues, you're going to have to kick it cold turkey. I bought myself a subscription to Radar as a moving gift in September; I got a card from them last week telling me the October/November issue was the last one, and I had a choice of getting the rest of my subscription in Star, Men's Health or Shape magazine, with the excreable Star being the default. Lucky Mr. singular is getting Men's Health, and the planet has lost another great magazine.:mad:

And Robin Williams sucks donkey balls (with an occasional piece of comedy shrapnel hitting the mark).

[What Exit?]

So am I the only Doper that enjoyed his two hour interview on ""Inside the Actors Studio"?

I loved his stand-up in the 70s but I agree his more recent work is nothing compared to it.

[BlinkingDuck]

Saying RW is not funny is somewhat like saying Bill Cosby is not funny because you saw him last week or George Carlin over the past few years.

Well...not really...there is only one Cos...but RW was funny back in the day. Last 10-15 years?...not really.

[Huerta88]

There are times when I think that no comedic style ages well.

I have listened to old Jack Benny stuff and sometimes laughed.

I have also found some of it to be among the most boring, tedious, childish stuff imaginable. But, he had 30 million people captivated at the time, and I don't flatter myself that I am objectively smarter than all of them.

Don't get me started on famous "comedians" like Red Skelton or Jack Parr or others of that era. It's just impossible to re-create the Zeitgeist that made them seem funny to your parents or grandparents.

Having said that, RW never struck me as anything but a manic clown. And I hate clowns.

[Stratocaster]

You're telling me this isn't the mark of genius (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvq0yKzCUH8)?

[Bosstone]

I can take him or leave him in most roles, although I've always found him entertaining. And Aladdin rules, darnit.

He's never been funnier than when he was on Whose Line Is It Anyway (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKEBelX5cvQ&feature=related), though. (Disclaimer: You should probably find Whose Line Is It Anyway funny too to enjoy it.)

[WarmNPrickly]

As far as I'm concerned, you could replace "Robin Williams" with "Eddie Murphy", "Dan Ackroyd", "Steve Martin", "Mike Meyers", "Chevy Chase" and just about any 70's/80's comedian and have exactly the same thread. Comedians that get out of stand-up comedy just don't stay fresh and funny for long. Even George Carlin got stale.

[Prelude to Fascination]

Back about 1979, when Robin was still best known as Mork, he had a pretty hilarious Lp entitled Reality, What A Concept. This gave me many happy hours of listening as a pre-teen.

Since then, yeah, he mostly sucks. Seems like what he really wanted all along was just to be Taken Seriously as a Serious Actor...which, when you're a gonzo standup comedian, basically means, "Time to sell out and become a schmalzy latter-day Danny Kaye, a defanged satyr figure beloved of The Industry and free of any disturbing creativity."

I still have his album entitled Throbbing Python of Love, which was pretty good. But I agree it's gotten old by now. I think part of it is the familiarity--when he was new, it was exciting, but it hasn't aged well.

For instance, I wanted to add this to the movies that haven't aged well thread, but didn't, because it was about Mork and Mindy. But TVLand (I think) just ran a marathon for that show a few weeks ago, and holy crap that shit's unfunny now. Talk about dated styles and juvenile, simplistic humor. Pam Dawber was hot though. But I watched a couple of episodes and just shook my head remembering how the kids in high school roamed the halls saying "Nanoo nanoo!" to each other.

For his standup, it was energetic and therefore fresh by the standard of the day. Remember we were coming out of the 70s, and it wasn't long before people like Dean Martin and Tom Jones had variety shows, with guests like Jack Benny and other (great, but) old-time stars.

In Throbbing Python of Love, an audience member shouts out, "Do some improv!" Williams fires back, "What the fuck do you think the last fucking thirty minutes has been?!" in a way that makes the rest of the audience howl.

So yeah, I certainly thought he was funny when he was in his comedy prime, but now it's old and dated.

[Fiddle Peghead]

Actually, he's quite funny. But you have to be intelligent to get it. ;)

Then I'm the world's biggest idiot.

Edit: Oops. I forgot I already replied to this.

[The Great Sun Jester]

Then I'm the world's biggest idiot.

Edit: Oops. I forgot I already replied to this.LMAO!!!



Williams was funny in the 70s. I enjoy him as a dramatic/comic actor now. But I agree that his style of stand up doesn't work so well today because it's been done to death and the world has moved on. Steve Martin did himself a favor by moving away from his cutting-edge style of comedy while he was still hot and into acting (The Jerk was a perfect transition IMHO). And Cosby...well, Cosby never did comedy. Cosby did something else far more advanced. I just got done digitizing some of his stuff from the 60s...it still works.

But yeah, Williams was good in his day. Like Howie Mandell, Richard Pryor, Dave Gardener....

[Chefguy]

Robin Williams was very, very funny for a couple of years in the late '70s, although admittedly he's been coasting on the rep created then for the 30 years since. So "is not" I'll give you, but "and never has been" is just wrong.

Agreed. His improv was lightning fast and in the best tradition of Jonathan Winters. It got old, but then many comedians rolled into suckage in a matter of a few years. Few can keep the edge for very long. Case in point: Whoopi Goldberg, who was edgy and mean when she started, and whose image on screen now makes me want to open a vein.

[Cisco]

He's talented, but he's one of those annoying celebrities who feels like he always has to be "on". I wish he could just be Robin Williams every once in awhile, instead of being Robin Williams™ all the time.

[RickJay]

Huh?

The Night Listener?
Bicentennial Man?
Jakob the Liar?
Patch Adams?
What Dreams May Come?

Those films are of varying quality ("Patch Adams" was an absolute peice of shit) but there wasn't anything particularly wrong with Williams's performances in them. He did about as well as circumstances could have allowed. Nobody could have made "Patch Adams" not suck. And you left out his best movies.

I agree with the OP that he's really quite tiresome and unfunny; aside from a few moments - the very early part of his standup career and a few parts of "Aladdin" - his shtick is the same old manic same old, seen a thousand times before and it hasn't been funny in years and years. But he is a perfectly good, even very good, dramatic actor.

But comics usually peak young and then suck old. George Carlin's funny bone was dead for years before he was. Dennis Miller hasn't been funny for 15 years, maybe 20. Denis Leary's getting tiresome, though to his credit he's made a transition to other things. Eddie Murphy's act got bad really fast. Williams's pattern is common.

[Nzinga, Seated]

Seconded. But what are we going to do about it?

Ha!

[Onomatopoeia]

Dennis Miller hasn't been funny for 15 years, maybe 20. Dennis Miller was never funny, unless you call being a smarmy, overly-affected, pretentious douche funny.

Go ahead Dennis, call yet another person you're trying to condescend to 'babe', you Richard Belzer school of comedy reject.

[Huerta88]

Dennis Miller was never funny, unless you call being a smarmy, overly-affected, pretentious douche funny.

Go ahead Dennis, call yet another person you're trying to condescend to 'babe', you Richard Belzer school of comedy reject.

But he smirks and laughs at his own jokes -- how can he not be funny?

And his "rants" -- those elaborately-scripted, exactly-the-opposite-of-a-real-extempore-explosion -- aren't those the definition of comedy gold?

Next thing you'll be telling me that his shoehorning obviously-prepared pop culture references into his Monday Night Football commentary at random, almost always completely inappropriate moments -- was something other than the product of Comedy's Greatest Mind.

[Hampshire]

When I was 8 and Mork & Mindy aired all my classmates thought he was hilarious.
I could sit through his riffing as Mork and not crack a smile once.
And he's still doing the same riffing today. And I still haven't cracked a smile.

[Sigmundex]

>I think he has moments. I was watching a DVD of his recently that my boyfriend owns, and he did this bit about the Crusades, where (I'm paraphrasing from memory) he said the residents of Jerusalem reacted to the Christians by saying "Hide the women and the children and the number zero!" That bit cracked me up.<

Bastard! I used that bit in homeroom, 1981. I should have checked the closet for him.

But seriously, I agree completely. I don't get it. If he spent more than 5 minutes in my house, I'd be rolling my eyes at everyone who wasn't him, and I'd say I needed to go get more beer at the store or something, just to get away.

[Hostile Dialect]

So am I the only Doper that enjoyed his two hour interview on ""Inside the Actors Studio"?


Nope, I loved it! That's what I was thinking of when I saw this thread, but couldn't remember the name of the show.

He's talented, but he's one of those annoying celebrities who feels like he always has to be "on". I wish he could just be Robin Williams every once in awhile, instead of being Robin Williams™ all the time.

I always got the impression that that, if anything, was the real Robin Williams.