Monday, August 11, 2014

Rest in Peace: Mrs. Doubtfire

More than a comedian: July 21, 1951-August 11, 2014

14 comments:

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    1. Same here, Mystica. People are going to talk about his films for a long time. Personally, I liked him in GOOD WILL HUNTING, PATCH ADAMS, DEAD POETS SOCIETY, and MRS. DOUBTFIRE. He was outstanding in the last.

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  2. My daughter broke the news to me about midnight last night. She was in floods of tears. MRS DOUBTFIRE is her favourite film of all time. Really sad and upsetting news.

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    1. Col, it was "sad" and "upsetting" to hear the news and especially the manner of his death. I will miss him because his films made me laugh. MRS. DOUBTFIRE is one of my favourite films too, as much for the comic element as for the life's lesson.

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  3. Just awful news - terrible when people take their own lives. He will be missed.

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    1. Absolutely, Sergio. As I noted on George Kelley's blog, both Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman went the same way; the latter earlier this year. I don't know how much of their film careers had to do with their tragic deaths. What a sad way to bring down the curtain.

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  4. Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Awakenings, Good Will Hunting, and One Hour Photo are a few favorites of mine. But nothing beats Mork & Mindy for the 10-year-old in me. Lots of laughs thanks to that alien from the planet Ork. Rest in peace, Robin.

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    1. David, as with other writers and actors who have passed on, I discovered the full extent of Robin Williams' work only after his death. For instance, I haven't seen THE FISHER KING, AWAKENINGS, ONE HOUR PHOTO, and MORK & MINDY. A nice tribute would be to see those films now.

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  5. Such an original. People like Robin Williams are rare in life. This is beyond sad for me. I'm deadened by the heartwrenching news. He was an idol of mine all my life. Only ten years older than me! Like so many I watched him rise from his mad and zany stand up act to becoming Mork on TV to his astonishing dramatic roles in movies like THE FISHER KING (for me his most moving performance), GOOD WILL HUNTING, DEAD POETS' SOCIETY (an inspiration to people who have loved literature all their lives), MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON. And all those insane unscripted moments in GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, THE BIRD CAGE, ALADDIN. Even that TV show he was doing - THE CRAZY ONES - had a sparkle of his genius and it seemed to rub off on his co-stars. I don't want to stop praising him but I know I should. I'm going to watch THE FISHER KING later this week in his memory.

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    1. John, thanks for this nice little tribute to Robin Williams and his films. He deserved it. I discovered him as an actor and comedian only in the nineties when I saw "Dead Poets Society," "Jumanji," and "Mrs. Doubtfire" long after the films were released. This is the reason why I'm not familiar with his early cinematic and television ventures. I also liked him in THE BIRDCAGE where he steals the show from Gene Hackman. He looked comfortable in all the different roles he did although I would not see films like JUMANJI and FLUBBER again. You and David have intrigued me with THE FISHER KING among his films that I haven't seen.

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  6. One Hour Photo really surprised me (how creepy evil he could be) but shouldn't have. What a talent!

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    1. David, since I can't imagine Williams as "creepy evil," at least not in the films I have seen, I'm going to satisfy my curiosity by watching ONE HOUR PHOTO. He was a great talent, I agree, even ahead of many of his peers.

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  7. I was very sad and surprised to hear he had died. I liked him in Dead Again and Insomnia.

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    1. Tracy, two more Robin Williams films for me to see. Thanks for mentioning them. He will be missed.

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