Product: The Fisher King [VHS] (1991)
Rating: 5.0
4.5 Stars
The only reason this movie doesn't get five stars is because of the occasional over-acting of Robin Williams. Williams, who so often gets out of control and overshadows the other actors, does exercise enough restraint in this film to make his character sufficiently rounded and believable as an ex-professor tormented by the tragedy that took his wife's life.Jeff Bridges portrays the darkness in his character, Jack, magnificently. Jack, a radio "shock jock" sets into motion a tragic event that destroys his career and sends him hurtling toward self-destruction. "Do you ever get the feeling," he asks, "you're being punished for your sins?"In this sense, THE FISHER KING is like the dark underbelly of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Jack doesn't discover he's done good in the world, but realizes his own capacity for evil. He wants to atone, but he wants to do it the easy way. As he tearfully relates to his energetic and devoted lover (Mercedes Reuhl), "I wish I could just pay my ticket and go home." And he does try various means of atonement until at last he realizes he must give his all in order to find grace. Bridges is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. His acting in both STAR MAN and THE FISHER KING is amazing; he brings out just the right balance of humor and tragedy in his characters.I've seen THE FISHER KING many times. Each time I reflect on how much our actions matter. In a now famous speech, Bobby Kennedy once spoke of sending out a tiny "ripple of hope," of how that ripple would spread and grow. THE FISHER KING warns us that negative energy acts the same way, spreading, growing.And, the movie warns us, what goes around comes around. I can't express the theme of the movie any more simply than that.