Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

MartinHafer In many ways, "The Fisher King" is like the later film "Reign Over Me", though they're different enough I recommend you see them both. Each is about a man who loses contact with reality after experiencing the tragic loss of their family...and another man's attempt to help.When the story begins, Jack (Jeff Bridges) is a radio shock-jock...much like Howard Stern. However, after he makes an offhanded comment on the radio one day, a man goes on a murderous rampage based on the comment!! Naturally, Jack is a mess and his career disappears. Several years pass and he meets a guy who is extremely delusional (Robin Williams). It turns out the man snapped after his wife was murdered...by the same maniac at the beginning of the film! So, Jack makes it his life's mission to help the guy and help him re-establish contact with the real world. This is a pleasant film with a few odd surreal moments. This could easily turn off some viewers, but I found I was able to still enjoy the story. Plus, compared to director Terry Gilliam's other films, this one is downright normal! Worth seeing.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Tragic. Uplifting. Comical. Bittersweet. One of a kind. Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King takes on mental illness by way of a fantastical approach, an odd mix on the surface, but totally fitting and really the only way to put the audience inside a psyche belonging to one of these beautiful, broken creatures. Sometimes an unlikely friendship springs from a tragedy, in this case between a scrappy ex radio DJ (Jeff Bridges) and a now homeless, mentally unstable ex professor of medieval history (Robin Williams). Bridges was partly responsible for an unfortunate incident that contributed to William's condition, and feels kind of responsible, accompanying him on many a nocturnal odyssey and surreal journey through New York City, an unlikely duo brought together by the whimsical cogs of fate that seem to turn in every Gilliam film. Williams is a severely damaged man who sees a symbolic 'Red Knight' at every turn, and seeks a holy grail that seems to elude him at every turn. Bridges is down to earth, if a little aimless and untethered, brought back down from the clouds by his stern, peppy wife (Mercedes Ruehl in an Oscar nominated performance). They both strive to help one another in different ways, Williams to help Bridges find some redemption for the single careless act that led to violence, and Bridges assisting him on a dazed quest through the streets to find an object he believes to be the holy grail, and win over the eccentric woman of his dreams (Amanda Plummer). In any other director's hands but Gilliam's, this story just wouldn't have the same fable-esque quality. Straight up drama. Sentimental buddy comedy. Interpersonal character study. There's elements of all, but the one magic ingredient is Gilliam, who is just amazing at finding the way to truth and essential notes by way of the absurd and the abstract. Watch for fantastic work from Michael Jeter, David Hyde Pierce, Kathy Najimy, Harry Shearer, Dan Futterman and a quick, uncredited Tom Waits as well. The hectic back alleys and silhouetted trellises of NYC provide a sooty canvas for Gilliam and his troupe to paint a theatrical, psychological and very touching tale of minds lost, friendship found and the past reconciled.

Antoine J. Bachmann Frankly I don't understand all the enthusiasm!?Plot? There is no real plot. OK fine there is one, a very classical arrogant successful guy hits a rock, sinks low, and then discovers generosity and helping others which makes him a better person. Yawn. OK, not yawn per se, but yawn in this film.Acting? - Robin Williams is Robin Williams in a one man show, or close to one; he does his usual part when someone lets him, i.e. if you remove his costume in your imagination you find that you could be in pretty much any other made for Robin Williams (Patch Adams, Mrs Doubtfire, Jumanji, etc.) He overacts so much and so constantly that it kills much of the movie that isn't Robin Williams - Jeff Bridges does his usual slow-moving, quiet, I'm not really sure I understand what is going on here thing. A bit like in K-Pax in many ways. He is at his best when he plays that he's drunk. - Amanda Plummer looks exactly like, hey I am a young actress and I worked hard and watched a lot of people with some mental and behavioural issues and look at how well I can portray such a person, only no, at no time is she even remotely credible. Someone go watch Jodie Foster in Nell, or Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. - Mercedes Ruehl shines among this crowd. She is the only truly credible character, she acts, she has presence, it works. And what helps is that she has a "nice guy" part where she is kind, lovable, generous, you name it. Her award was well deserved.Filming / editing / pace? - something just doesn't work. Some bits are terribly terribly slow and without much if any content, but yet not achieving any particular depth that would justify this slow pace. Some bits are full of agitation and screaming but not sure why. Oh and there is the Red Knight which isn't really that useful and seems lifted directly from Baron Munchausen (where Robin Wiliams had a part btw).Bottom-line? Not a good arrogance meets punishment meets redemption movie. Average to downright terrible acting (or at any rate, overly dominant and very monotonous). Issues with pace. Terry Gilliam has made several films that I really like - but this one just doesn't work for me, sorry. And I really, really don't understand all the super-positive reviews, I just don't. Is no one going to scream, "hey the king is naked!" ?

Hugh H This is my first review and I just watched The Fisher King for the first time.As a huge fan of both Bridges and Williams, I thought to give this one a chance, even though I've never heard anything about that movie before (I'm from Germany, guess it's not popular here at all)Starting with a totally different Bridges character, (compared to the Dude) adding a fantastic Williams (who would've thought of that..) and gently putting the delicious Michael Jeter and Mercedes Ruehl cherry on top - would be the recipe for a great movie.And it was, and I enjoyed every single minute of it. It's one of those movies that makes you think about our society, lives and world in general. There's a philosophical meaning behind it as well. All in all I'm overwhelmed by all of its actors, writing, directing and cinematography Definitely gonna watch it a few times more.Highly recommended