The Fisher King
Tags: comedy, murder, thought-provoking, suicidal, flashback, insanity, psychedelic, melodrama

Plot synopsis:
Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges), a cynical, arrogant shock jock talk radio host, becomes suicidally despondent after his insensitive on-air comments inadvertently prompt a depressed caller to commit multiple murders at a popular Manhattan bar. Three years later, while heavily intoxicated and depressed, he attempts suicide. Before he can do so, he is mistaken for a homeless person and is attacked and nearly set on fire by ruffians. He is rescued by Parry (Robin Williams), a deluded homeless man who is on a mission to find the Holy Grail, and tries to convince Jack to help him. Jack is initially reluctant, but comes to feel responsible for Parry when he learns that the man's condition is a result of witnessing his wife's horrific murder at the hands of Jack's psychotic caller. Parry is also continually haunted by a hallucinatory Red Knight, who terrifies him whenever he shows any confidence.Jack learns that Parry had slipped into a catatonic state following his wife's death and had remained there for a few years. When he emerged he seemed obsessed with the tale of the legend of the Fisher King, a form of which Parry recounts to Jack. The legend varies, but all iterations possess three elements: the Fisher King was charged by God with guarding the Holy Grail, but later incurred some form of incapacitating physical punishment for his sin of pride, and had to wait for someone to deliver him from his suffering. A simpleminded knight named Percival, referred to in the movie as "The Fool", healed the wounds with kindness to the king, asking him why he suffers and giving him a cup of water to drink. The king realizes the cup is the grail and is baffled that the boy found it, as demonstrated in the closing exchange: "I've sent my brightest and bravest men to search for this. How did you find it?" The Fool laughed and said "I don't know. I only knew that you were thirsty." Echoes of the legend recur throughout the film, but in a continually shifting manner, so that it sometimes appears that Lucas is Percival to Parry's Fisher King, sometimes vice versa, and sometimes that one or the other is re-enacting part of the story with another character (most obviously in Parry's self-assigned quest to obtain the Grail from the man he believes is its guardian).Jack seeks to redeem himself and help Parry find the Grail and find love again. Jack sets Parry up with a woman Parry has been smitten with from afar, Lydia, a shy woman who works as an accountant for a Manhattan publishing house. Jack successfully introduces them to each other and sets up an equally successful dinner date (Jack and his strong-willed girlfriend, Anne, join them). Following dinner, Parry declares his love for Lydia but is once again haunted by the Red Knight. Parry tries to escape his hallucinatory tormentor but is attacked by the very thugs from whom he had earlier rescued Jack. The beating is not fatal but causes Parry to become catatonic again.Jack promises to find the Grail for Parry. He infiltrates the Upper East Side castle of a famous architect and retrieves the "Grail", a simple trophy. When he brings it to Parry, the catatonia is broken and Parry regains consciousness. While he and Jack lead the patients of the mental ward in a rousing rendition of "How About You?", Parry is reunited with Lydia and Jack (who had earlier broken up with Anne for dubious reasons) reunites with his love as well.=====================The story opens in a radio broadcast studio where arrogant and cynical "shock jock" Jack Lucas talks to a caller about the banality of the social scene in New York City (where his show is broadcast). The caller tells Jack about a bad date he'd had recently, sounding quite despondent over being rejected by a woman. Jack tells him, in a largely dismissive tone, that social status dictates that the caller will never be successful if he tries to enter this woman's more aristocratic social circle. Jack's show ends for the day and he returns to his lush penthouse where quarrels briefly with his girlfriend (whom leaves) and admires himself, repeating his tagline ("FORGIVE me!!). Jack turns on the news and finds out that the despondent man he'd been talking to had killed several people in a popular Manhattan restaurant with a shotgun. Jack is devastated, blaming himself for the man's breakdown.Three years later Jack is off the radio & morbidly depressed, living with a woman, Anne, who owns a video store downstairs from her apartment. Jack drinks heavily and works part-time for Anne. When Jack offends a chatty customer, Anne tells him to go back to her apartment and get some rest. That night, Jack, while watching a television show he's produced based on his radio experiences, insults Anne, saying that he's only lived with her for sex. Anne storms off and Jack leaves the apartment, taking a bottle with him. Mistaken for a bum on the street, a small child gives him a wooden Pinocchio doll. Jack ends up near the Manhattan Bridge at the East River, feeling suicidal with cinder blocks tied to his ankles. While he prepares himself to jump in the water, he's attacked by two young men who believe he's a vagrant; they beat him severely, douse him with gasoline and intend to burn him alive. Just as they light a match, they are attacked by another bum who speaks much like a medieval knight and wields a non-lethal bow and arrow. Several other bums join him and sing "How About You?" and Jack's would-be killers are quickly outnumbered and defeated. One of the killers is captured and tied up by the vagrants' leader and left to be victimized by anyone who comes along. Jack is initially terrified of the leader, who is suddenly kind and takes him to a safe area under a bridge, populated by more homeless men. Jack spends an hallucinatory night with them, even impressing them all when his coat briefly catches fire, causing him to dance around in a panic.The man takes Jack back to his home, the maintenance room in the basement of an apartment building. The man tells Jack his name is Parry and that he's a knight on a sacred quest; Perry believes the Holy Grail is in the home of a prominent architect living in a castle-like building on the Upper East Side. Parry also hints that he is often visited by the "little people", hallucinations that advise him on the quest. Parry, however, is terrified of the Red Knight, a large, monstrous enemy that rides a black horse and breathes fire. Jack also notices that Parry has a small shrine dedicated to a young woman to whom he's infatuated, however, Parry yanks him away from the shrine when he discovers him there. Parry believes that Jack has been sent to aide him in his quest. Jack tells Parry openly that he's crazy and leaves. As he walks out he meets the building manager who at first thinks Parry has invited someone to live with him. The manager tells Jack that Parry used to live in an apartment in the building a few years ago before his wife was murdered. The manager goes on to say that Parry's wife was killed in the same tragic restaurant shooting incident that Jack believed he caused.Jack goes back to Anne's apartment, finding her distraught at his disappearance but happy to see him alive. He explains what happened the previous night and how he was attacked. Jack realizes that much or all of his depressive state can be relieved if he helps Parry. He asks Anne about the Holy Grail and she pontificates on the nature of good and evil and God and the Devil. The two of them have sex. Later, Jack tells Anne that he feels he's cursed because of the trouble he believes he caused Parry and she tries to comfort him.Jack revisits Parry's home and is met by the manager who tells Jack more about Parry: his real name is Henry Sagan and he was a professor of medieval studies at Hunter College. After his wife was killed, he fell into a catatonic state and lived in an asylum on Staten Island. One day he simply awoke from his catatonia and became Parry. He was taken back to his old apartment building where the manager allowed him to live in the basement. The manager also tells Jack that Henry was deeply in love with his wife.Jack finds Parry in the Midtown area of Manhattan, sitting atop a parked car, oblivious to the alarm blaring. Jack offers Parry money for compensation, however, Parry gives it to another homeless man. Jack is angry, but Parry grabs him, pulling him behind a column. A woman, Lydia, has emerged from the skyscraper, the same woman that Parry had built the shrine to in his home. She is at once clumsy and awkward, finding it difficult to negotiate her way past people and through the building's revolving door. Parry and Jack follow her to a Chinese restaurant where they watch her through the window. Later, she stops at a news stand, where she buys a new novel, a habit that Parry has noticed; she buys a new book every few days. After she returns to work, Parry tells Jack that he's "deeply smitten" with her but lacks the self-confidence to approach her. Just then Parry's nemesis, the Red Knight, appears. Jack cannot see the monster; it is a hallucinatory manifestation of Parry's own fear that only he can see. However, Parry yells that the Red Knight is uncharacteristically afraid of Jack and drags Jack along on the chase. They race through Central Park until Jack, lagging behind, finds Parry sitting on a rock. Parry tells Jack that their combined effort has frightened the Red Knight off. The pair hear screaming and happen across another homeless man who had buried himself in the dirt of a horse trail in the park, hoping that riders will trample him. Jack and Parry take him to a homeless shelter where Jack comforts the man while Parry tries to stir the other patients into song. Jack talks briefly with the man they rescued who tells him he's a cabaret singer and a veteran who watched all his friends die.Later, back in Central Park on the Great Lawn, Jack lays on the grass with Parry next to him. Parry is nude, unafraid of the danger in the park at night, and gazes at the clouds and stars and tells Jack the story of the Fisher King, who once possessed the Holy Grail but lost it, grew old and became depressed. The king was saved by a passing fool who gives him a drink of water; the cup he uses is the Grail itself and the king is revived. Parry says he has a vague memory of a lecture he gave on the story as a professor before his mental breakdown. Jack suggests that Parry needs to be introduced to Lydia and says he'll help him.Jack returns to Anne's place and formulates a plan to have Parry meet Lydia socially. He poses as a contest official and tells Lydia she's won a free membership at Anne's store. Lydia is not so easily fooled and hangs up on Jack. Jack sends the cabaret singer to Lydia's office; the man does a flamboyant musical number informing Lydia she won the membership.Lydia shows up at the video store. Parry is there too, posing as an employee. Lydia's membership is squared away and Parry helps her find a few movies to rent. She doesn't find any she'd like but notices that Anne has a fancy manicure. Anne tells her that she does her nails herself and she'll do Lydia's for a reasonable fee. Lydia agrees and Anne invites her to her apartment that night. Jack will meet them there later with Parry and they'll all go to dinner. Jack gives Parry his wallet to pay for dinner.Anne and Lydia talk about Lydia's need for self-confidence. Jack helps Parry clean up for dinner. The four go to a Chinese restaurant where the plan to get Lydia and Parry together is successful. Jack and Anne go back to Anne's place and Parry escorts Lydia home. Lydia expresses many assumptions about Parry, believing that he'll stay with her one night and leave. Parry tells her that he's quite in love with her and promises to contact her again. As he leaves, Parry's abnormal fear hits him, he sees the Red Knight and runs screaming into the night. He ends up at the same spot where he found Jack when Jack attempted suicide. A few moments later, while Parry lies on the ground, twitching uncontrollably, the same two punks who tried to kill Jack find him - both are standing on either side of the Red Knight. The punks beat him severely.The next day Jack calls his old radio agent and tells him he'd like to get back on the air. Anne comes on to Jack, however, Jack asks to talk to her seriously; Jack thinks that he needs to break up with her because his career may once again take off. Anne is instantly furious and upset and argues with him. Just then, Jack receives a phone call from the police; they found Jack's wallet on Parry when he was brought to a hospital. At the hospital, Anne and Jack find out about the assault and that Parry has become catatonic again. Parry will be remanded to a mental hospital until he regains his mind.Jack settles quite easily back into his previous life as a radio host, however, his arrogance and insensitivity have mellowed greatly. He is also in talks to produce a television talk show. While in a meeting with a TV executive, Jack leaves unexpectedly and visits Parry, bringing him the Pinocchio doll he'd gotten from the child. Jack tells Parry that he knows Parry wants him to steal the "grail" from the castle on the Upper East Side, however, he also refuses to do it. Jack demands that Parry wake up, to no avail, and finally promises to undertake the dangerous mission.Using Parry's plans and notes, Jack makes use of a slingshot to carry a rope and anchor to a parapet and the high tower of the castle. He makes it inside and creeps down the long staircase. About halfway down, he sees the man who shot Parry's wife and recoils at the hallucination. Jack finds the castle's study and the Grail, which turns out to be a trophy given to a "Lanny Carmichael". Jack hears a noise behind him and finds Carmichael slumped in an easy chair by the fireplace, having taken an overdose of medication. Jack tries unsuccessfully to wake the man up, choosing instead to leave by the front door, tripping the security alarm.Jack once again visits Parry and gives him the cup. Exhausted, Jack slumps on Parry's bed and falls asleep. Some time later, Parry's fingers, holding the cup, begin to caress it. Parry wakes up and tells Jack that he really misses his wife.The next day, Lydia visits Parry and finds his bed empty. Parry and Jack are leading the other patients in a rousing rendition of "How About You?". Parry sees Lydia crying and hugs her, asking her why she looks so sad. Jack continues to lead the other patients in song.Jack goes to Anne's store and reconciles with her, admitting he loves her. She slaps him but accepts him back into her life. The story ends with Jack and Parry nude in Central Park, watching the clouds and laughing.

Review: A touching yet humorous tale, THE FISHER KING brings together amongst the best performances given by Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, as well as Terry Gilliam's finest directorial effort.
Solid supporting performances by Amanda Plummer and Mercedes Ruehl round out a great film that ranks among my personal favorites.Bridges portrays an arrogant radio shock-jock, who's big mouth and flippant comments send a disturbed listener on a murderous rampage, thus ending his career.
Terry Gilliam has made a lot of good films and a couple of great ones(namely Twelve Monkeys and Brazil)this, though could well be his best.Why ?For starters there is the cast.Jeff Bridges,officially the most underrated actor of his generation, giving a performance that veers from one end of the spectrum to the other almost imperceptibly.From comedy to tragedy and back again.Robin Williams- a great comedian and a better actor than he is given credit for.Fair enough he does tend to go through spells of making films primarily for his kids (Mrs.Doubtfire, Hook, Jack) but when he does decide to buckle down and do a serious role he rarely disappoints (Good Will Hunting, Insomnia, Dead Poets Society).It is with this role though that Williams gives what is the best of his career to date,as Parry.
She wants to be his saviour, and yet he comes in the shape of a homeless madman, prone to dancing naked in Central Park and seeing floating fairies whilst defecating.The Fisher King is a movie about hope, despair and redemption, and all of the human conditions that fit in between.It contains one of the most inspired,beautiful scenes in recent memory,as Grand Central station transforms from a dingy,noisy concrete hole into a luscious, gorgeous ballroom, simply because of Lydia, Parrys love, the one thing that keeps him grounded in any semblance of reality.The chinese restaurant double- date in which Parry connects with her for the first time is both funny and touching, and makes what comes after even more tragic.
Coming From A Completely Different Direction Than Any Film Remotely Like It. The Fisher King can be viewed as an oddball dramedy like several others during one's initial viewing, but then suddenly you're struck by the hallucinations of Robin Williams's character, namely the sight of the large, outlandish, scorching red figure of a demonic knight coming to kill him.
And with that in mind, thinking outside the box along with Terry Gilliam and Richard LaGravanese, one shouldn't even think of the brief sporadic fantasies the film splashes at us here and there as anything so jolting.Jeff Bridges turns in a fantastic, despicably likable performance.
Bridges, who I have always thought of as a very good actor, has my kudos for understanding to the point of successful portrayal a type of person who is rarely completely understood.Robin Williams, constantly underrated at this point for his self-indulgent bombast and personally difficult, nonstop communication of his sense of humor, is proved in this, as well as several other films I could mention, that he has true talent and feels his characters to the very core and projects as such.
When she is suddenly accosted by the attention and adoration of these other three people, she reacts, and I feel like I know many people who would react the same way.The Fisher King is in my opinion the first great film Terry Gilliam ever made.
I know that at the time he was heavily involved in Comic Releif and this story about mentally ill homeless men and acceptance of all types of people really fits the PC Comic Releif mentality, but he really did a great job here, portraying Parry, a man lost in fantasies of knights and ladies.Jeff Bridges is very Howard Stern-like as Jack Lucas, the insulated, rude talk show host.
When it gets reported that the man had done this after a remark by Lucas, Jack knows that his career is over, but also realizes how he has been affecting people.Some years later, Jack is wondering the streets and meets Parry (Robin Williams), a homeless man whose mind is gone.
THE FISHER KING (1991) **** Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer, Michael Jeter, Tom Waits.
Brilliant tragic-farce about a shock jock radio personality (Bridges in top form and criminally overlooked for an Oscar nod!) who goes over the brink into madness when he inadvertently causes a tragedy that he ends up reliving when he comes upon a homeless man (Williams equally brilliant, Best Actor nominee) that has become that way due to his actions.
Possibly Gilliam influenced by his early work for Monty Piton(Monty Piton and Holy Grail) turns Parry to a character who seeks Holy Grail, however in this case Grail is just a symbol, symbol which will allow Parry to return to sanity and forget the tragedy which happened to his wife, the tragedy which links to Jack However before the search for Grail begins the movie prepares us to this point.
However the question in the movie is what real power is, Jack having fun in his pent house, Parry dancing naked in the central park of New York, finding true love (by the end of the movie everything comes to this point), or maybe simply the human relations?
A former self-absorbed radio personality ,the popular DJ Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges), suicidally despondent because of a terrible mistake he made, when a nutty man carries out a slaughter that takes place in a popular New York bar after hearing the radioman speak against Yuppies.
This touching and stirring film contains nice performances from Jeff Bridges as a radio man dejected by remorse and Robin Williams as a homeless become crazy after witnessing his wife's violent death in the bar shooting .
The film cast includes three Oscar winners: Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges and Mercedes Ruehl; and three Oscar nominees: Tom Waits, Dan Futterman and Richard LaGravenese.
It's a good picture but relies heavily on the lovely romance between Robin Williams and Amanda Plummer , and the relationship between Jeff Bridges and Mercedes Ruehl ; lacking adventures and action .
And then there is the unique Robin Williams as Parry, in one of the best performances of his career, no doubt supplying much of his own dialogue.The Fisher King is Gilliam's second masterpiece.
This is the one for which Robin Williams should have received an Oscar; for as Parry, the victim of a senseless tragedy, he is nothing short of brilliant in `The Fisher King,' directed by Terry Gilliam and co-starring Jeff Bridges (who also gives an Oscar-worthy performance here).
Gilliam has created the perfect mood and atmosphere to tell the story of successful radio talk-show host Jack Lucas (Bridges), and the homeless and mentally unhinged Parry, whose lives intersect in the wake of an act of unconscionable violence that leaves them both barely clinging to the memory of a reality that no longer exists for either of them.
In the Fisher King, Robin Williams is basically an insane homeless man who saves Jeff Bridges from being burned to death.
"You find some pretty wonderful things in the trash" -- ParryThe now-classic waltz scene in Grand Central never fails to touch me in some almost- indescribable way, signifying to me the hidden beauty that lies unnoticed, unrealized, beneath the grit of everyday life, because we never think to look for it.And it's a metaphor for the characters in the movie, too - most are deeply flawed, damaged, whose faults are made plain - yet Gilliam finds and reveals their inner beauty - their dignity, their worth, their joy, their wisdom.The movie is, by turns, screamingly funny, touching, and frightening - the threatening manifestation of Parry's memories, and Parry's terror at it's approach is hair-raising - and affecting, as the nature and source of the monster is revealed.Despite the sudden changes in perspective and tone, Gilliam manages this deftly, and with subtlety.
The dialog is often rich and revealing, and Gilliam's distinctive visual sensibility, while muted, remains recognizable - the film is beautifully shot.The acting in this is superlative - Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, Jeff Bridges, and Amanda Plummer all deliver incredible performances - yet Michael Jeter's scenes were perhaps the best of all, his laugh-until-you-cry scenes were just stunning.When you look at Gilliam's filmography, you can't help but notice this constant - he has great actors, delivering some of the best performances of their careers - for instance, I still think the performances by Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt in "12 Monkeys" were among their very best in their careers - this cannot be coincidence..
The film is set in a time when video cassettes were a massive rage.Terry Gilliam has even attacked the media for their alleged misuse of power and authority.In this film Robin William shows us one of the most original ways of correcting one's wrong doing.On the technical front there are unusual camera angles which provide visual pleasure of high adrenaline rush-skyscrapers and areas where homeless people live.This film might soon achieve cult film status because of its material.The message of this film is extremely simple:Anyone can become a homeless person any where,any time under any circumstances.This is because a tragedy can strike anyone,anytime,any place.So be nice and kind to your dear ones in order to love them forever..
Although it features an outstanding cast, it's often misunderstood as simply a drama, or a dark comedy, but no genre can really describe the type of movie Gilliam has created here.Like most Gilliam films, especially Brazil, a large focus is placed on the Goddess figure (in this case, Lydia), the fear of an unspeakable horror and the gradual overcoming of that fear (the Red Knight), and the constant interplay between the fantastic and the mundane.
Gilliam's talent is giving us a different sort of glimpse inside something we all take for granted, teetering somewhere between the magical and the mad.There's no need to rehash the plot - if you haven't seen it, The Fisher King is a brilliant movie that everyone should see, and I hope its reputation only improves as time goes on..
Director Terry Gilliam's halfhearted return to Earth includes all the ingredients for what could have been a whimsical romantic fantasy, despite all the illogical, contrived plot tissue about how an acerbic, selfish New York City radio host (Jeff Bridges) redeems himself by rescuing a soul in worse peril than his own.
The film was written like a small, offbeat character study: loony street-person Robin Williams, who imagines himself to be a medieval knight on a mythical quest, saves Bridges from suicide, and Bridges returns the favor by arranging a date between Williams and the painfully neurotic Amanda Plummer.
This film tries to be complicated and different than the others,one of these films that make you change your life,such as other Robin Williams' films ,for example Dead Poets Society,however this film is just that,a try.All they show is a bunch of weird people whose lives have been ruined for one reason or another and make then play their roles in a "circus" half real and half fantasy with a pretentious typical fairy tail touch,including the unexpected ending..
Less important: A perfect scouting, Jeff Bridges playin' the role of a sarcastic, ironic, miserable,don't-give-a-crap-about-life, but also sensitive and good character and, as always, Robin Williams playing weird, funny, but also educated, clever and profound man whose success couldn't be measured by the brands he wears or the numbers on his credit cards.
"The Fisher king" was my favorite, mostly because here Gilliam manages very well to create a moving and emotional tale without missing that eccentric atmosphere of his previous movies, even if in this one there wasn't nothing of fantasy or science fiction.
Terry Gilliams masterpiece The Fisher King brings an outstanding cast, to perform in an outstanding movie.
It's a modern tale, with stunning performances by Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl (which won the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role on account of her performance in this movie) and all the rest.
I love Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges is an excellent actor, but this movie was bitterly disappointing.
I couldn't finish that movie, but I still decided to give this one a chance, solely because it stars two of my favorite actors, Jeff Bridges & Robin Williams.
The pictures of the "red knight" that stalked Parry in his mind at least and that wouldn't let him go, even when he thought he had finally escaped and started to return his life to normal with his budding relationship with Lydia (Amanda Plummer.) Those images have a haunting quality to them; they don't easily leave you after the movie's over.After the imagery, it's the performances that stand out in this.
As I mentioned, Robin Williams was brilliant as Parry, and Jeff Bridges was almost his equal as Jack - the former radio shock jock whose off the cuff comments led an insane man to shoot up a bar , which led to Parry's wife being killed in front of him and resulted in his insanity.
Something of a surprise to watch for the first time 20 years after it was released, THE FISHER KING has all the dazzling visual and verbal complexity you would expect of a Terry Gilliam film but a plot that hangs together rather more cohesively than some of his other movies.
A warm and touching drama from visionary director Terry Gilliam, with just the right amount of magical whimsy to make it unique without being cloying.Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams give wonderful performances as a shock-jock radio DJ and the homeless vagrant with whom he strikes up a friendship.
Throw in some holy grail legend, a red knight (the manifestation of Parry's past), interesting characters and romancing subplots and you got yourself an adventurous, sometimes hilarious and heart-warming movie.Personally, I think this is Terry Gilliam at his best..
Terry Gilliam directs this quirky, busy heartfelt tale of a homeless former professor(Robin Williams)obsessed with medieval history and his relationship with a jaded guilt-ridden ex-radio DJ(Jeff Bridges).
Jeff Bridges plays a radio DJ called Jack Lucas who becomes a friend with a deranged homeless man Parry (Robin Williams).Parry wants to find the Holy Grail and Jack helps him with that.Mercedes Ruehl plays Jack's girlfriend Anne Napolitano and Amanda Plummer is Lydia Sinclair, the woman Parry is interested in.Terry Gillian's The Fisher King from 1991 is an excellent movie of many genres.It has drama, comedy, fantasy and romance.The movie has excellent actors.Bridges is brilliant.Ruehl won an Oscar from her role.Plummer is great and Williams is amazing.Robin turned 50 years old the 21st of July and he has been in so many great movies.This is one of the best ones.There are so many great scenes in the movie and the dialogue is excellent.The movie is also very touching and in some parts very funny.This is a must see for everybody who likes good movies..
Although uniquely original, the script seems a little too unrealistic but the fine performances from all involved, (particularly Ruehl and Plummer) makes this 1991 fairytale -- both funny and sad and sometimes even scary -- a watchable film that is sure to put a smile or two on your face.AA: Mercedes Ruehl AAN: best actor (Robin Williams), art direction, score, screenplay.
And they are true barring their own sad and deep sorrow and insanity like us.It's one of the coolest Jeff Bridges movie (I think), and Robin Williams expertise.
It's much closer to the world we understand ourselves, which immediately allows us to draw closer to the characters in a way that seems difficult in his other, more surreal visions.The hugely underrated Jeff Bridges is excellent as the fallen-from-grace DJ trying to hold on to his own mind while Robin Williams delivers what must surely be seen as a career high performance (along with Good Will Hunting) as the madman with a little more personal history than first meets the eye.It's tempting to consider this movie as a mental autobiography of sorts on the part of the director; as a renowned eccentric himself, Gilliam clearly delights in the madness of the characters which he so caringly creates and surrounds us in from the start of the movie, and shows how close to the surface the madness in all of us really is.
You finish watching this film feeling like you've just seen a really good story, had your emotional muscles exercised a bit, and even been given a bit of food for thought about the workings of the mind.And then there's the bit in Grand Central Station.
While not the absolute best I've seen from Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges or Terry Gilliam, THE FISHER KING is still wonderful tale of friendship, love, and loss.
talking about a man's quest to get rid of his guilt (Jeff bridges) and then when he meets someone whose pain he has been inadvertently been the cause of (robin Williams) - this movie is a must see for all of us who think that the grail in a sense talks about redemption, and release from past guilts.
It is certainly a flawless cast, immaculate cinematography (A fantastic scene involving Ballroom dancing in Grand Central station) and a great script.One of the central themes of this movie as well as other Terry Gilliam films is madness, makes you wonder doesn't it?.
Terry Gilliam has always claimed that the main characters of his films represent him at that time in his life, with The Fisher King this statement could not be more clearer.
The story of The Fisher King involves Bridges character Jack Lucas, a successful New York "shock jock" about to make the transition to his own TV show before one of his on-air statements inspires a terrible tragedy.
You have a Melancholy Ex-radio Host (Jeff Bridges), A semi-insane, semi-genius homeless man (Robin Williams), The quiet reclusive accountant (Amanda Plummer), and all the other memorable yet important characters that come in and out of the story like bacteria under a microscope.
Jeff Bridges gives a great performance and Robin Williams an outstanding one.