# Worst Robin Williams movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 31, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951 "2004-01-31T21:40:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/1 "2004-01-31T21:40:32Z")
You know Robin Williams, the gifted comedian/actor. He has turned in memorable performances in such movies as _Good Morning Vietnam_, _Good Will Hunting_, and _Dead Poets Society_ (the last two are probably my favorite movies that have him in them). Looking over his IMDB entry, though, I also note a sizeable number of critical and/or commercial bombs. Some lowlights from Mr. Williams career: _Popeye_: Almost universally drubbed by critics and a box office failure too IIRC. At the time I enjoyed the attempt to recreate a beloved cartoon in live action, although I recognized the movie had flaws. Haven’t seen it since it came out. _Club Paradise_: Saw this one when it came out too, and seem to remember it was a stinkeroo, but I barely remember it. Anyone with a better recollection? _Cadillac Man_: Wasn’t terrible but I don’t think it was a huge hit either. _Hook_: Another (IMHO) misunderstood work. Far be it from me to defend Spielberg but I thought this movie at least had an interesting premise. Critics and the public vehemently disagreed. I thought Dustin Hoffman was a hoot. _Toys_: Never saw this but I seem to remember people praising the"look" of the film and almost nothing else. Anyone else see it? _Patch Adams_: This would probably be my nomination for Worst Movie with Robin Williams In It. Hackneyed and predictable…_Good Morning Vietnam_ goes to medical school. _Jakob the Liar_: I realize I know nothing about this movie except I think I have read low opinions of it on this board. How about it, good or bad? _Bicentennial Man_: I have seen Mr. Williams during interviews joke about how bad this one is, or at least how poorly it performed at the box office. Never saw it. _Death to Smoochy_: Another I-haven’t-seen-it-but-seem-to-recall-bad-things-being-said-about-it-on-this-board one. So what IYHO is the Worst Movie that has Robin Williams in it? Not necessarily the movie that contains his worst performance, but the worst movie he appears in. For the purposes of this discussion you are also allowed to consider movies in which he does only voice work, is uncredited or uses a pseudonym. His IMDB entry is here if you need some help: > **[Robin Williams - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000245/)** > > Robin Williams, Actor: Mrs. Doubtfire. Robin McLaurin Williams was born on Saturday, July 21st, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Mississippi Governor and Senator, Anselm J. McLaurin. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (née Janin), was a... Can anyone top _Patch Adams_? ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/2 "2004-01-31T21:46:22Z")
It seems like everyone I know love _Patch Adams_. Personally, I found it boring. But I loved _Hook_. Then again, I was pretty young when it came out, but I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/3 "2004-01-31T21:55:24Z")
My vote goes for “Toys”. I’ve seen better film in soap dishes. ---
**Author:** ![greenphan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@greenphan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenphan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/4 "2004-01-31T22:12:26Z")
I’m going to have to go with a tie between that feel-good god-awful dreck _Patch Adams_ and that supposedly-life-affirming feel-good god-awful dreck _Bicentenial Man_. I actually watched both just to say I saw them all the way through, thinking “it’s sort of funny because it’s not funny”. They were just awful, awful movies that seemed to follow a sacchrine formula as closely as they could. Although, to be honest, _Dead Poet’s Society_ followed the same formula but only sucked half as much as the others. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/5 "2004-01-31T22:16:17Z")
I saw _Toys_, which was just [Best Fake English Accent]UTTER CRAP[/BFEA]. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/6 "2004-01-31T22:47:25Z")
_Toys_ was pretty bad, but did anyone see _Being Human_ I think that film pretty much ruined any hope that Bill Forsythe, who directed one of my most favorite films _Local Hero_ from ever working in Hollywood again. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/7 "2004-01-31T22:54:31Z")
Hey now! I loved _Toys_ when I was younger and still enjoy it. It has neat visuals, a fun premise (mostly, it does go downhill in a big way) and LL Cool J having a fantastic time. I love his couch disguise. Now, _Patch Adams_… there was a bad movie that every one of my mother’s friends found So Profound. Anybody else see _What Dreams May Come_? A simply beautiful movie, that should have been a _good_ movie also but most certainly was not, for a lot of overconvoluted plot reasons. But lovely! ---
**Author:** ![rostfrei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7bcc69/32.png) [@rostfrei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rostfrei)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/8 "2004-01-31T23:27:49Z")
“What Things May Come” was the worst Robin Williams movie ever!!! Sheer boredom from beginning to end of movie. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/9 "2004-01-31T23:44:20Z")
I liked \*Patch Adams \* OK. I’m surprised no one mentioned _Jumanji._ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/10 "2004-01-31T23:59:26Z")
I’ve seen all the films mentioned, and with all due respect to contrary opinions, anyone who says anything other than “Toys” is just wrong. “Toys” was indescribably bad. I hated “Patch Adams” and “Jumanji,” and “Hook” was not very good, and “Bicentennial Man” was bad, but they were FIFTY times better than “Toys.” My buddy and I went to see “Toys” and walked out shellshocked. As we took a pee, a kid, maybe ten, comes in to do the same thing. I tell my buddy, “Boy, that movie really sucked.” The ten-year old suddenly pipes up, “I wish instead of seeing Toys, I spent the money on real toys.” Just about sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/11 "2004-02-01T00:15:11Z")
“Worst Robin William movie?” Hmmm, kinda like asking me if I hated the poke in the _left_ eye with a sharp stick, or the poke in the _right_ eye . . . ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/12 "2004-02-01T00:42:06Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > _Popeye_: Almost universally drubbed by critics and a box office failure too IIRC. At the time I enjoyed the attempt to recreate a beloved cartoon in live action, although I recognized the movie had flaws. Haven’t seen it since it came out. Dull. Had some neat ideas, and I thought the casting was great, but the plot failed to hold my attention. > [@](#): > > _Club Paradise_: Saw this one when it came out too, and seem to remember it was a stinkeroo, but I barely remember it. Anyone with a better recollection? Standard basic cable channel filler. Not good enough to pay money to see, but worth watching for free when there’s nothing else on. > [@](#): > > _Cadillac Man_: Wasn’t terrible but I don’t think it was a huge hit either. Actually a pretty good movie. Tim Robbins was great. > [@](#): > > _Hook_: Another (IMHO) misunderstood work. Far be it from me to defend Spielberg but I thought this movie at least had an interesting premise. Critics and the public vehemently disagreed. I thought Dustin Hoffman was a hoot. I saw it at least three times in the theater. Not a great movie, but not deserving of the scorn it received. > [@](#): > > _Toys_: Never saw this but I seem to remember people praising the"look" of the film and almost nothing else. Anyone else see it? I liked it. Great visual style, sweet, whimsical story line. I liked LL Cool J’s character, too. I think this was one of his first acting roles, and he was surprisingly good in it. > [@](#): > > _Patch Adams_: This would probably be my nomination for Worst Movie with Robin Williams In It. Hackneyed and predictable…_Good Morning Vietnam_ goes to medical school. Didn’t see it, don’t plan to. > [@](#): > > _Jakob the Liar_: I realize I know nothing about this movie except I think I have read low opinions of it on this board. How about it, good or bad? Ditto. > [@](#): > > _Bicentennial Man_: I have seen Mr. Williams during interviews joke about how bad this one is, or at least how poorly it performed at the box office. Never saw it. Ditto. > [@](#): > > _Death to Smoochy_: Another I-haven’t-seen-it-but-seem-to-recall-bad-things-being-said-about-it-on-this-board one. I loved this movie. Brilliant dark satire. In ten years time, this movie will have a cult following to rival _Repo Man_. I’d say the worst Robin Williams movie that I’ve seen (barring the inevitable flashback .2 picoseconds after I hit “submit”) would be _What Dreams May Come_. Neat idea, neat look, fuckin’ stupid movie. Just didn’t work, and I can’t say precisely why. One of those weird things where the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts. I should watch it again just so I can have some more concrete reasons for why I disliked it. Spoilers for the movie: One thing that I remember is that, when we saw Williams’ kids in the flashbacks, I somehow missed the fact that one of them was a girl. I thought he had two sons. So when his sexy Asian spirit guide was revealed to be one of his kids, I thought, “So his son got a sex change in the hereafter? That’s a remarkably progressive afterlife.” This isn’t one of the reasons I didn’t like the movie, I just thought it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![3Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/4af34b/32.png) [@3Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3Much)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/13 "2004-02-01T00:56:28Z")
Mrs. Doubtfire. How can no one have mentioned Mrs Doubtfire? It was terrible. Not one laugh. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/14 "2004-02-01T01:03:13Z")
I myself would say **Can I Do It 'Til I Need Glasses?** , one of his earliest. Pretty bad stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/15 "2004-02-01T02:35:47Z")
I think that _Jumanji_ and _Bicentennial Man_ deserve extra suckage points for totally missing the point of the stories they were based on. ---
**Author:** ![Sonyadora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sonyadora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonyadora)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/16 "2004-02-01T03:02:43Z")
Don’t be fooled. _Death to Smoochy_ is one of the funniest movies Robin Williams has ever been in. _Jumanji_ has my vote for worst. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/17 "2004-02-01T06:53:52Z")
All these responses and no mention of two of his biggest stinkers - _Jack_ and _The Birdcage_. I found [it]The Birdcage\* to be full of gay cliches and conservative cliches and just all around insulting. _Jack_ was unremittingly dumb. StG ---
**Author:** ![Astra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Astra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astra)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/18 "2004-02-01T06:56:31Z")
Patch Adams was unfunny, uncomfortable, and made no sense whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/19 "2004-02-01T07:06:59Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > My vote goes for “Toys”. I’ve seen better film in soap dishes. I loved _toys_ when it first came out. Of course, I was in third grade and it was mind blowing eye candy for me. Now that I’m older, I can see that it had a screwed-up plot and syrupy moments. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/20 "2004-02-01T07:27:49Z")
_What Dreams Might Come,_ sad, disturbing, with a unique shot of dead children laying in their coffins. Horrid film. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951.md?page=2)