15 Greatest Robin Williams Films, Ranked

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One among America’s most beloved actors for over 30 years was Robin Williams, whose inherently humorous skills have been elevated from his classical coaching at Julliard. After nearly being picked up off the road for a memorable function in “Completely happy Days” resulting in the total spin-off sequence “Morky & Mindy,” Williams turned an in a single day sensation in 1978. The funnyman then parlayed his success as a stand-up comedian and sitcom actor into starring in characteristic movies by 1980. Although finest recognized for his comedic tasks, Williams confirmed a shocking vary throughout his profession, particularly in notably darker and sinister roles later in his filmography.

Whether or not it was leaning into family-friend humor, each in live-action and animated tasks, or channeling his skills into extra dramatic fare, Williams all the time introduced his A-game. In doing so, the late actor left a physique of labor that continues to face the check of time and discover new audiences generations later. 

Listed below are the 15 finest Robin Williams films ranked and prepared so that you can take a look at or revisit.

Although not well-received by the critics, the 1991 fantasy film “Hook” has enthralled impressionable audiences for many years and have become a business hit. A sequel to “Peter Pan,” Williams performs the perpetual boy-who-never-grew-up, however now he is all grown-up and a workaholic lawyer in present-day, straining his familial relationships. After a vengeful Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) reignites their feud by kidnapping Peter’s youngsters, he follows the sadistic pirate to Neverland. Again within the fantasy world, Peter has to reconnect along with his previous persona and its magical potential earlier than main the Misplaced Boys for a last confrontation with Hook.

Simply because the film is called after him, Hook dominates a lot of the film, with the manufacturing reportedly changing into a pleasant conflict of the titans between Williams and Hoffman. “Hook” provides Williams one in every of his greatest character arcs, going from the uptight and cynical Peter Banning to the joyously energetic Peter Pan. With that in thoughts, taking part in the self-serious Banning took a toll on Robin Williams, and he is visibly overjoyed to lastly minimize free as Pan. Filled with wondrous moments and anchored by sturdy performances, “Hook” is a nostalgic blast for anybody who grew up with it.

Whereas nonetheless heralded as a preferred comic, Williams’ huge display profession hadn’t fairly linked by 1984, along with his earlier movie work gaining a combined reception. One unassuming vital and business success that set the stage for larger issues to return was the 1984 dramedy “Moscow on the Hudson.” Williams performs Soviet saxophonist Vladimir Ivanov, who defects to the US whereas on a go to with the Moscow circus in New York Metropolis. Vladimir then adjusts to life in America, having to surrender his musical profession to make ends meet as he basically restarts his life.

For one thing that has a comparatively easy fish-out-of-water premise, Williams went all in for his “Moscow on the Hudson” function. Coaching diligently in studying learn how to converse Russian and play the saxophone, Williams’ dedication provides his efficiency as Vladimir a grounded coronary heart. Although there are definitely laugh-out-loud moments, Williams brings an actual pathos to its dramatic scenes, particularly as Vladimir reconciles with all he is misplaced for his contemporary begin. An unassuming gem similar to its protagonist, “Moscow on the Hudson” was an early signal of how effectively Williams might steadiness comedy and tragedy.

In 2002, Williams started what he known as his “triptych of evil,” displaying simply how darkish he might go in three consecutive films. The primary of those tasks was “One Hour Photograph,” a psychological thriller starring Williams as photograph technician Sy Parrish. An entire recluse, Parrish develops an unhealthy obsession with a neighborhood household who he has developed images for over time. When Parrish discovers the household’s patriarch is conducting a clandestine extramarital affair, he decides to take issues into his personal fingers after his idyllic picture of the household crumbles.

Within the handful of villainous roles that Williams performed, his efficiency in “One Hour Photograph” is the actor at his most terrifying. There’s a calculated menace to Sy Parrish, one thing that totally involves mild when he corners the wayward husband as a part of his long-standing obsession. That is the place Williams’ comedic background made him uniquely certified for his “One Hour Photograph” function, understanding vital stress earlier than delivering a killer punchline. A suspenseful experience into a person’s parasocial obsession, “One Hour Photograph” predates the broader introduction of social media and its observationally poisonous potential.

The 2002 pitch-black comedy “Loss of life to Smoochy” is a film that feels proper in Williams’ inventive wheelhouse, subverting the family-friendly characters he used to play with vicious humor. Williams performs youngsters’s present host Rainbow Randolph who’s sacked after the FBI arrests him for taking bribes from rich mother and father to permit their youngsters on his program. Changing him is Sheldon Mopes (Edward Norton), a sweetly harmless man who hosts his present as Smoochy the Rhino. Jealous and determined, Randolph seems to be for a solution to get Mopes fired whereas Mopes discovers the darkish facet of kids’s leisure.

Directed by Danny DeVito, who additionally performs a supporting function within the film, “Loss of life to Smoochy” is a satirical and darkly hilarious blast. Seeing Williams’ character develop more and more deranged because the film progresses is a spotlight, juxtaposed by Norton imbuing his efficiency with wide-eyed naivete. That humorous malice divided critics and audiences when the film was initially launched, however it has since grown right into a cult basic. Wickedly humorous, with Williams combining his comical skills along with his darker performing decisions, “Loss of life to Smoochy” is a comedy masterpiece that deserves reappraisal.

For the 2006 animated film “Completely happy Ft,” Williams not solely stands out prominently from its all-star forged, however takes on a number of roles within the movie. All through the film, Williams supplies the narration, by his function because the character Lovelace, whereas additionally voicing the separate characters Ramón and Cletus. The film follows younger penguin Mumble (Elijah Wooden), who has bother singing to draw a mate like his friends, however possesses a deep love of dancing. With the assistance of his buddies, Mumble not solely bucks the norms held by his colony’s elders, however attracts the love of the favored Gloria (Brittany Murphy).

Regardless of revolutionizing motion films by creating the “Mad Max” franchise, filmmaker George Miller was no stranger to acclaimed youngsters’s fare, having produced and co-written the “Babe” films. “Completely happy Ft” extends that work to CG animated productions, with Williams clearly having a blast along with his a number of characters. Williams would return for 2011’s “Completely happy Ft Two,” however the unique 2006 film surpasses it by a rustic mile. Whimsically charming like its sure-footed protagonist, “Completely happy Ft” is elevated considerably by Williams’ wacky efficiency.

Oliver Sacks’ 1973 memoir “Awakenings” served as the premise for a 1990 drama of the identical title starring Williams as Malcolm Sayer, an analogue for Sacks. Set in 1969, Sayer works intently with a gaggle of sufferers affected by a sleeping illness epidemic that lasted from 1919-1930, together with a person named Leonard (Robert De Niro). After observing the catatonic sufferers reacting to totally different stimuli, Sayer decides to revive them by use of an experimental drug. Because the sufferers develop into utterly conscious for the primary time in many years, they acclimate to the world round them and the way a lot it is modified.

“Awakenings” is among the extra successfully restrained performances from Williams in his filmography, eschewing his typical quips or understanding seems to be. As an alternative, he finds loads of room to breathe within the quiet moments, embracing the subtlety that they supply in creating his character. Throughout its manufacturing, Williams wasn’t positive he might make “Awakenings” work with De Niro, however he greater than holds his personal on-screen. Reining in his typical penchant for manic flash, Williams provides “Awakenings” the stable spine it wants in distinction to its melodrama.

If there was ever a filmmaker whose inherent quirky eccentricities aligned with Williams’ personal, it was Terry Gilliam. The 2 collaborated collectively on the 1991 fantasy dramedy “The Fisher King,” starring Jeff Bridges as radio shock jock Jack Lucas. Lucas turns into despondent when a broadcast drives a disturbed caller to kill a gaggle of restaurant patrons, falling right into a deep despair over his guilt. Lucas is helped from his funk by an odd man named Parry (Williams) who believes he has been tasked by God to recuperate the Holy Grail in New York Metropolis.

A way more intimately scaled film than lots of Gilliam’s different productions, “The Fisher King” is basically powered by the efficient pairing of Williams and Bridges. Regardless of the intense material, Williams will get to riff and light-heartedly spar with Bridges with their verbal repartee. Nevertheless, when the temper does flip heartbreakingly uncooked, Williams snaps to consideration accordingly, with one key scene notably pushing Williams to his limits. Knowingly odd however fueled by that fantastical humor and premise, “The Fisher King” is an underrated gem.

In 2009, Williams teamed up with fellow comedian Bobcat Goldthwait for the darkish comedy “World’s Best Dad,” with Goldthwait writing and directing. Williams stars as single father and highschool trainer Lance Clayton, annoyed that his writing profession by no means took off and by his malcontent son Kyle (Daryl Sabara). After Kyle unintentionally kills himself whereas attempting autoerotic asphyxiation, Lance levels his son’s demise to look as a suicide to protect his dignity. Kyle’s infamous popularity instantly is discarded by his friends as he turns into one thing of a celebrated tragic determine, whereas Lance features fame passing off his writing as his son’s.

Like “Loss of life to Smoochy,” the subject material in “World’s Best Dad” is darkish, to make sure, however it has a shocking quantity of coronary heart. Williams will get to run a large gamut of feelings in his efficiency, from midlife ennui to grief and jealousy as his estranged son will get the adoration that eluded him. That each one stated, the film continues to be extremely humorous and Williams proves he is simply as comedically efficient taking part in his gags deadpan reasonably than over-the-top. An missed indie gem in Williams’ wider profession, “World’s Best Dad” is a standout later venture from the actor.

The 1997 Norwegian crime thriller “Insomnia” was remade for American audiences by Christopher Nolan in 2002, retaining the unique film’s title. The film follows Los Angeles police detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino), who is shipped to help with a grisly homicide investigation in rural Alaska. Whereas pursuing the perpetrator, native author Walter Finch (Williams), Dormer unintentionally kills his associate (Martin Donovan), who was making ready to testify towards Dormer in an inner affairs investigation. Finch taunts Dormer over this as the 2 interact in a cat-and-mouse recreation, with Dormer wracked with insomnia over his guilt and the area’s perpetual daylight.

By Nolan’s personal admission, “Insomnia” is probably the most underrated film of his filmography, launched simply earlier than he began making Batman films. Nolan’s sharp filmmaking type, together with his consideration to element, are current, honoring the unique film whereas forging its personal inventive floor. This supplies a wonderful backdrop for Pacino and Williams to play towards, with Williams delivering one other darkly fascinating efficiency and a worthy match for Pacino. An underrated and forgotten movie from early in Nolan’s profession, “Insomnia” showcases Williams at his sinister finest.

Williams took on a very hands-on function along with his 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire,” with each he and his then-wife Marsha Garces Williams additionally producing the venture. The film has Williams play Daniel Hillard, a voiceover actor residing in San Francisco along with his spouse Miranda (Sally Subject) and three youngsters, till a sequence of mishaps leads Miranda to provoke a divorce. Immediately, Daniel should discover extra secure employment inside three months if he hopes to share custody of their youngsters. To spend extra time along with his youngsters, Daniel disguises himself as British nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire whereas changing into extra accountable and discovering regular work elsewhere.

Regardless of its admittedly ridiculous premise, Williams noticed “Mrs. Doubtfire” as rather more than a cross-dressing comedy, and it exhibits within the last movie. There are many hilarious gags all through the film, however it by no means sugarcoats away the bitterness of divorce, particularly with youngsters caught within the center. That well-rounded storytelling method definitely linked with audiences, with the film rising into the most popular nanny on the field workplace, changing into the second-highest earner in 1993. A childhood favourite for a complete era, “Mrs. Doubtfire” is a permanent basic and a private venture for its star and producer.

The 1978 French movie “La Cage aux Folles” was tailored into a success American comedy in 1996 below the title “The Birdcage.” The film follows gay couple Armand (Williams) and Albert Goldman (Nathan Lane) who run a drag membership in Florida. Armand’s son Val (Dan Futterman) prepares to marry Barbara (Calista Flockhart), the daughter of highly effective and ultra-conservative Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman). For Val’s profit, Armand and Albert reluctantly agree to hide their sexuality and Jewish heritage when Senator Keeley and his spouse come to fulfill them.

A totally screwball comedy, Williams and Lane make an ideal on-screen couple, virtually bouncing off of one another at instances. Given the premise, the social commentary is outstanding, after all, but in addition enhances the laughs as they arrive in quick and livid. Williams is definitely extra subdued than Lane, as he tries to keep up their cowl, expertly understanding when to go for broke and when to rein it in. A satirical critique of institutionalized homophobia with out forgetting the gags, “The Birdcage” was quietly groundbreaking in its personal method.

Williams usually performed misfits with a coronary heart of gold that buck towards inflexible norms and one in every of his finest explorations of this dynamic is in 1989’s “Useless Poets Society.” Set at an all-boy Vermont prep college in 1959, Williams stars the academy’s new English trainer John Keating. Keating’s unorthodox instructing type evokes his college students, particularly Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), however it additionally attracts the ire of a mother or father who opposes his son taking part in a school-produced play. This results in a concerted effort to have Keating eliminated after a tragic improvement involving the scholars, regardless of his stirring classes.

For “Useless Poets Society,” there is a little more restraint from Williams in his performing decisions than one may anticipate. There are definitely moments when he veers into his overtly comedic sensibilities, however these do not distract from the general film. It is Williams’ efficiency that elevates the film from the melodramatic schmaltz that it very simply might’ve been. Sumptuously acted with a memorably bittersweet ending, “Useless Poets Society” garnered Williams his second Academy Award nomination and set the course for his profession transferring ahead.

The wartime exploits of Armed Companies radio DJ Adrian Cronauer served because the free foundation for the 1987 comedy “Good Morning, Vietnam.” The film follows Cronauer (Williams) when he is shipped to Saigon because the Vietnam Battle escalates in 1965, with Cronauer offering radio broadcasts to American army personnel within the area. Although Cronauer’s irreverent humorousness proves fashionable with listeners, it angers his superior officers, notably Sergeant Main Dickerson (J.T. Walsh). This results in a battle for management over the radio present, exacerbated by the realities of the explosive struggle occurring round them.

Although Williams had a number of modest cinematic successes below his belt all through the ’80s, he had rather a lot to show going into “Good Morning, Vietnam.” The film supplied him the room to improvise Cronauer’s radio broadcasts but in addition lean into the various dramatic moments all through the movie. Williams labored time beyond regulation to create his character, capturing Cronauer’s sense of conviction within the face of army brass and the horrors of struggle, along with his comedic sensibilities shining by. A smash vital and business success that cemented Williams as a cinematic lead actor, “Good Morning, Vietnam” is a improbable showcase of his vary.

Although Williams starred in tons of family-friendly tasks, none are extra celebrated and enduring than the 1992 Disney animated film “Aladdin.” A retelling of the basic Arabian folktale, the film has resourceful road orphan Aladdin (Scott Weinger) tasked with recovering a magic lamp. Upon rubbing it, Aladdin unleashes the highly effective Genie (Williams), who affords to grant him three needs. As Aladdin makes use of these needs to woo Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin), he clashes with the dominion’s evil vizier Jafar (Jonathan Freeman).

Contemplating how monumentally profitable it turned, it is a marvel that “Aladdin” barely received made in any respect earlier than wiser heads prevailed. Williams naturally steals the present as Genie, along with his efficiency letting him work in numerous impressions and sing a number of show-stopping musical numbers. “Aladdin” continued Disney Animation’s successful streak effectively into the ’90s, renewing the glory of its basic animation studio. A triumph that has stood the check of time for over 30 years, “Aladdin” is pure animated storytelling bliss elevated in no small half by Williams.

Whereas Robin Williams deservedly earned a number of Academy Award nominations all through his profession, his sole win was for 1997’s “Good Will Searching.” In a supporting function, Williams performs Sean Maguire, a therapist helping an excellent however troubled younger man named Will Searching (Matt Damon). As Will begins to unveil his genius potential, he and Sean work by their traumas collectively, serving to one another reconcile with their respective pasts. This leads Will to determine to go away his hometown behind and pursue a significant relationship whereas Sean begins to maneuver on from the demise of his spouse.

“Good Will Searching” is Williams at his most mature and heartwarming on-screen, alternating between susceptible and reserved throughout the film. Williams’ first day filming the film reportedly had Matt Damon in tears, because the seasoned professional infused a brand new high quality into Damon and Ben Affleck’s script. The emotional bedrock of the movie is Will and Sean’s soul-bearing rapport and Williams went above and past to deliver these key scenes dwelling. Arguably the best efficiency of Williams’ total profession, “Good Will Searching” really confirmed the dramatic vary he was able to with out diminishing his typical likability.