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The Fisher King |
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137 minutes, 1991, Written by Richard LaGravenese, Directed by Terry Gilliam (Best Director, Silver Lion-Venice Film Festival), Starring - Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams (won Golden Globe for Best Actor in a comedy/musical), Mercedes Ruehl (Best Supporting Actress Oscar, Golden Globe and Best Actress LAFCA), Amanda Plumber, Michael Jeter. Cameos by Tom Waits, John de Lancie (Q on StarTrek), David Hyde Pierce (Miles on Frasier), Kathy Najimy, Harry Shearer and Anita Dangler. Filmed in Central Park and Grand Central Station, NYC and Los Angeles. |
Bonesaw thinks
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There are some brilliant subtleties. Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges), an insulting Howard Stern-like DJ is in extreme close-up, filling the frame. He goes off on a moronic caller and his head bops in and out of view from the energy of his venomous words. All you can see is the bottom of his face from the right side and the tip of the microphone. A hint of sunglasses, a lock of long, golden, attitude hair and you realize how small the distance is between him and us. Here's a taste of Jack: "C'mon I told you about these people. They only mate with their own kind. It's called yuppy inbreeding. That's why so many of them are retarded and wear the same clothes. They're not human. They don't feel love, they only negotiate love moments." And that's how long it takes. 1.5 seconds for your world to vaporize. Not the time it took you to say it, but the decision that was made in the seconds that follow. What kind of colossal act of destruction does it take to turn your life into a parking lot? You said something. Yup, that's it. You do it all the time right? Speak, blather, on and on, take it for granted. When the realization scene hits, it's one of those cinematically historical moments that after 10 viewings, still makes my flesh crawl. Mercedes Rheul plays Anne. She is a Goddess genius incarnate. I didn't like her character the first time I saw her. Her strength was blinded by her neediness. She plays it so raw that it was very hard for me to watch. Her relationship with Jack truly illuminates the day to day 2 people have to endure together. It's immediate, yet subtle how obviously necrotic their relationship is. The angels in this film abound. They seem to be at the ready, waiting around every corner. Parry (Robin Williams) shows up in a tribute to a famous "It's a Wonderful Life" scene. When he tells Jack that he's "the one" and you find out the true meaning of that statement, you'll be as horrified as Jack. Hell, it snapped him right out of his self-loathing pit of despair, dumb-quick. Lydia (played by Amanda Plumber) is the most adorable misfit and perfect modern-day damsel in distress. Anytime the homeless, wanna-be, debutante drag-queen (played by Michael Jeter) is on screen I can't take my eyes off of him. He enters the film bleeding and buried up to the waist in dirt and horse shit: Parry: I'm not gonna hurt you. Robin Williams' portrayal of a "really satisfying bowel movement, the kind that borders on mystical" is hilarious. Jeff Bridges does a delectable one word imitation of Jack Nicholson as he breaks through the 4th wall. The Chinese restaurant scene is a classic and the champagne cork scene is about as romantical as it gets. Except for the one in Grand Central Station. I'm not saying a word. What's the lesson here? Don't get too comfy with your borghese mentality and lifestyle. Don't let your life end up forcing you to go through something like Jack. Everything seems normal since you've so efficiently surrounded yourself with devoid statues just like yourself. At first you'll never understand and cry why oh why is this happening to me. As a reward you'll feel the next fateful Braveheart pummeling or is it a loving nudge towards the prize? |
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How evil and on the mark can the Gods be? What seems like a spiteful, reap-what-you-sow retribution punishment turns out to be a lesson you should have learned way before you hit bottom. This film starts out as THE ugly epitome of irony and ends up as a psychically medicinal epiphany that literally saves 4 lives. The Fisher King is smart and intelligent and there's not a contrived bone in its body. The pace is like mercury. The film is surreal and realistic all at once. You'll have great fun when you watch it. It's never redundant and trusts that you'll get it and will make you feel warm and welcome.