# 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:** 5
**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:** [June 20, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/81 "2006-06-20T22:47:49Z")
Wow. I was just thinking about this thread the other day, but I had nothing to do with restarting it. > [@Lemur866](#): > > … > > I hated “Dead Poet’s Society” too, but it became a little bit less awful when someone explained to me the subtext…the teacher was fucking the kid who commits suicide. Now at least the movie makes sense. Which teacher…the one played by Williams? (It’s been ages since I saw it). ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/82 "2006-06-20T23:42:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Talented comedian, maybe, but “great actor?” Great in the sense that I really enjoy watching him at work in any film, rather than a comment on his acting abilities. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/83 "2006-06-21T00:43:30Z")
Oh, the thread’s two years old… I was wondering why no one mentioned **RV** Not that I’ve seen it, but from the trailers, it looked like the type of movie dopers love to hate ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/84 "2006-06-21T02:23:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > (like _Mrs. Doubtfire_, which struck me as a self-indulgent rationalization for dumping your wife in favor of the baby-sitter and pretending you did it for the benefit of your children). Any chance we’ll get an explanation for this one before the thread gets locked? Because I’ve read it three times (the original comment, and both posts quoting it) and still don’t see the rationale. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/85 "2006-06-21T02:56:29Z")
Good golly! I hadn’t realized how many movies that man has been in! > [@Kat](#): > > Any chance we’ll get an explanation for this one before the thread gets locked? Because I’ve read it three times (the original comment, and both posts quoting it) and still don’t see the rationale. IIRC, he did that in real life. How that relates to Mrs. Doubtfire, I don’t know. Maybe **Shodan** meant that Robin Williams took a “family man” role to try and offset some of the bad publicity? That’s my best WAG. Oh yeah–as to the OP–I haven’t seen enough of them to vote for a definitive worst, but Mrs. Doubtfire is probably the one I like least of those that I’ve seen. I have to give him props for One Hour Photo, though. He was really very good in that. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/86 "2006-06-21T09:54:29Z")
Insomnia - Haven’t seen it Death to Smoochy - HSI One Hour Photo - HSI Artificial Intelligence: AI - Oh, yeah, didn’t he play a hologram or something? I liked it. Bicentennial Man - HSI Jakob the Liar - HSI Patch Adams - Liked it What Dreams May Come - One of my favorite movies Good Will Hunting - One of his best. Flubber - HSI Deconstructing Harry - HSI Fathers’ Day - HSI Hamlet - He didn’t stand out as badly as Jack Lemmon. Secret Agent, The - HSI Jack - HSI Birdcage, The - Trying way too hard. Jumanji - HSI To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar - HSI Nine Months - HSI Being Human - HSI Mrs. Doubtfire - HSI Toys - HSI Aladdin - HSI From Time to Time - HSI FernGully: The Last Rainforest - HSI Shakes the Clown - HSI Wish for Wings That Work, A - He was in this? I liked it. Hook - Horrible premise–I’ve never liked Peter Pan. My least favorite Spielberg movie. Fisher King, The - Great movie. Dead Again - HSI Awakenings - Good movie. He and DeNiro worked well together. Cadillac Man - HSI Dead Poets Society - Okay. Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The - HSI Good Morning, Vietnam - Okay Seize the Day - NSI Club Paradise - HSI Best of Times, The (1986) - Okay Moscow on the Hudson - Okay, IIRC–I haven’t seen it in twenty years. Survivors, The - Blah World According to Garp, The - Good, but not as good as the book. Popeye - Wonderful, quirky movie. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/87 "2006-06-21T12:08:33Z")
> [@occ](#): > > I thought Hook was decent, though I haven’t seen it for years. I’m not that big on RW as an actor, simply because he always seems to be playing himself; also, his schtick (which I don’t like) is always an element of his characters. His shtick is annoying, but he doesn’t always display it. It definately wasn’t there in \*Insomnia, One Hour Photo, What Dreams May Come [/ i]or _Awakenings_. I think his shtick absolutely ruined _Robots_ for me. On the other hand, I loved _Toys[_ (but Joan Cusack and LL Cool J had a lot to do with that) and _Death to Smoochy_ (again, Edward Norton, Jon Stewart and many other costars were much more enjoyable than Williams. _The Fisher King_ and _What Dreams May Come_ were visually gorgeous, and he was good in those. The funniest part of _Club Paradise_ was seeing the horrifically bushy Robin Williams pelt clothed only in a bathing suit! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/88 "2006-06-21T13:04:52Z")
_Patch Adams_ is not only the worst Robin Williams movie I’ve ever seen. It’s one of the worst movies PERIOD I’ve ever seen. How many movies from that era wallow in that same shit. . .some free spirit teaching people to break free from the constraints that society places on us, usually culminating in some “court case” just in case you were the one. fucking. moron. in. the. world. that didn’t get the message after being beat in the forehead with a sledgehammer for the previous two hours. Gag me with a motherfucking spoon; who writes that shit, teams of 16 year old girls? Yeah, I got it the first time. . .when it was called _Dead Poets Society_, no wait, I mean _Pleasantville_, no wait, I mean _Scent of a Woman_, no wait. . . The fact that they did it with little bald leukemia kids makes it even worse. You really can’t make a worse movie than _Patch Adams_. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/89 "2007-02-05T07:27:27Z")
Happened upon this thread while looking for something else. Interesting little exercise. I went through the IMDB user ratings of his films. The bottom twelve, if you’d like them for reference, are: **Club Paradise** (4.2) **Portrait of a White Marriage** (4.3) **Toys** (4.5) **Flubber** (4.5) **Father’s Day** (4.6) **Popeye** (4.7) **Shakes the Clown** (4.7) **Being Human** (4.8) **Everyone’s Hero** (4.8) **Cadillac Man** (5.2) **Nine Months** (5.2) **Jack** (5.2) Of these, I’ve only seen **Shakes the Clown** and **Cadillac Man**. While **Cadillac Man** is at least as execrable as the rating suggests (I myself would knock another two full points off at least), I thought **Shakes the Clown** was funny and his performance in it (a cameo as a visiting professor at a mime school) one of his least annoying (particularly with his pseudonym, Marty Fromage). As a rule, I don’t like him as an actor, and I am more likely to see a film in spite of his presence in it rather than because of it. I saw **Mrs. Doubtfire** and **The Birdcage** (both rated 6.5), and found both to be agreeable, with Doubtfire being his superior performance of the two. I’ve seen 11 of his other films, and they turn out to be 11 of his 12 highest rated works: **Good Will Hunting** (7.9): Liked the film, hated his performance and its sixteenth-assed attempt at a Boston accent. **Dead Poets Society** (7.7): Loved the film, and the only thing that bugged about him was his flagrant use of his bottom-of-the-barrel John Wayne impersonation. **Hamlet** (7.6): Didn’t like it as much as Branagh’s Henry V, Williams was agreeably dismissable as Osric. **Aladdin** (7.6): Something about voice-over work can turn annoying people around, it seems. I liked his Genie as well as the next person, and freakin’ Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh, fer cryin’ out loud. **The Fisher King** (7.4): Being a fan of all things Gilliam prior to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I like this film, and Williams inhabits his character to a fine degree. **Insomnia** (7.2): A good performance by him during the creepy period he should return to more often, and while the film is decent enough it doesn’t hold a candle to the foreign original in terms of atmosphere and suspense. **Deconstructing Harry** (7.1) I saw this film, I know I did, but I can’t recall a thing about it, including his performance. **Good Morning Viet Nam** (7.1): Liked it quite a bit, but didn’t like him as much as everyone else. **One Hour Photo** (7.0) His best performance to date, IMO, in the best 1970s film of this decade. He is astoundingly subtle and creepy in this one. **Dead Again** (6.9): Cute little film in which he was annoying as all hell. **The Adventures of Baron Munchausen** (6.9): His King of the Moon is the worst part of an otherwise OK film. Tied with these last two is **The World According to Garp** , which I didn’t see. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/90 "2007-02-05T07:36:57Z")
Has Robin Williams done a zombie flick? ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/91 "2007-02-05T09:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=Taber] Oh, the thread’s two years old… I was wondering why no one mentioned **RV** Not that I’ve seen it, but from the trailers, it looked like the type of movie dopers love to hate [/QUOTE] I also noticed the lack of mention of **RV**. I immediately glanced at the post dates and realized that this thread largely predated this. I haven’t seen it, and with some luck, I never will. Mrs. Doubtfire and Garp weren’t completely unwatchable, and Mindy was completely hot. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/92 "2007-02-05T10:09:35Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] Has Robin Williams done a zombie flick? [/QUOTE] I dunno, but this thread has been brought back from the dead _twice_! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/93 "2007-02-05T12:03:09Z")
I also have to throw in my support for _Death to Smoochy_, but keep in mind that Williams’ isn’t playing the central character. I have thankfully managed to avoid both _Toys_ and _Patch Adams_ though I’ll never forget Gene Siskel’s review of the latter: “I would rather turn my head and cough than see any part of _Patch Adams_ again.” ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/94 "2007-02-05T13:23:32Z")
I was reading through the thread thinking, “all right, an opportunity to go off on Patch Adams”. Ah well. This is probably a topic that could use a bump every now and again. . .if for nothing else to spread the word about Patch Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/95 "2007-02-05T20:28:34Z")
Why did I miss this zombie thread first time around? Anyway - Whenever RW tries do do a dramatic role, in a drama¨project, he fails. Sometimes the movie prevails, but not because of him. I think he can be a genuinly funny guy but he doesn’t know his limitations. And I enjoyed Jumanji, silly as it was. RW does silly well. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/96 "2007-02-05T21:02:43Z")
I thought **The Fisher King** was somewhat overwrought, but overall I liked it. I liked **One Hour Photo** enough to buy it. RW is great in it. No one else here has seen **The Night Listener** yet? He’s pretty good in this one too. I could have done without **Patch Adams, Good Will Hunting, and Dead Poets Society** , but I don’t blame RW for these. It was the writing that bugged me. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/97 "2007-02-05T21:20:32Z")
[QUOTE=Taber] I was wondering why no one mentioned **RV** [/QUOTE] Presumably because the title might just as well have stood for “Right to Video.” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/98 "2007-02-05T21:24:30Z")
I was subjected to **Patch Adams** on an airplane. Even without earphones, I was contemplating constructing my own parachute out of my carry-on clothing. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/99 "2007-02-05T21:26:41Z")
[QUOTE=FaerieBeth] I’m going to vote on **Awakenings** as my worst Robin Williams movie, ever. I just don’t see him as a doctor (which may be why some of you all thought Patch Adams sucked, too). Plus, seeing Robert Deniro\* drool on himself put me off the whole damn thing. \*It was Robert Deniro, wasn’t it? FB [/QUOTE] It was DeNiro, and I agree, _Awakenings_ is the worst, though from the half hour I saw of it _Patch Adams_ gave it a run for it’s money. I think there might have been one or two laughs in _Mrs. Doubtfire_ (or maybe I’m just conflating it with the parody of it in _Arrested Development_) but it suffered from the same type of creepy, shudder-inducing premise that makes Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-coms so awful. And with apologies to the O.P., I found _Dead Poets’ Society_ to be endlessly manipulative and button-pushing, with cardboard characters and the kind of rousing finale that only a Hollywood producer could love. It pisses me off every time I see it. _One Hour Photo_ is Williams’ best recent film, and then because he plays it cold. The remake of _Insomnia_ was disappointing at best, and totally misses the nihilistic feeling of the original. Williams played a stock manipulative sociopath with no real depth or appeal. [QUOTE=dantheman] Of course! How could we forget the legendary Caine-Hackman Theory? [/QUOTE] That they’re talented paycheck whores brought on to give an otherwise blah movie the kind of gravitas that might elevate it from one star to two? Factor in Morgan Freeman as well. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951/100 "2007-02-05T21:34:52Z")
Count me in on the **Death to Smoochy** love-fest. I don’t think anyone has mentioned **The Final Cut** yet. The reviewer for the New York times nailed it by describing Williams as “looking like the world’s most constipated mortician.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-robin-williams-movie/226951.md?page=6)