Vera Anderson/WireImage/Getty Images
- Robin Williams would've turned 71 on July 21, had he not died in August 2014.
- Over the course of his decades-long career, he was in at least 63 movies, ranging from stinkers to hits.
- He was nominated for three Oscars, winning for his best-reviewed film, "Good Will Hunting."
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
In "Old Dogs," Williams and Travolta co-star as two best friends, Dan and Charlie, who must team up to take care of Dan's newly discovered children after their mother is arrested while protesting.
"It all plods along to a familiar happy ending that is supposed to leave its audience feeling warm and fuzzy. I'll admit the ending made me happy, because it signaled the end to this miserable movie," wrote Bowling Green Daily News' Micheal Compton.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Sandy (Mandy Moore) and Ben (John Krasinski) return to Mandy's hometown in order to receive pre-marriage counseling from Mandy's eccentric priest Reverend Frank (Williams), who seems hell-bent on breaking their engagement up.
"It's exactly what it looks like from the commercials — a one-joke movie, and that one joke isn't even funny to begin with," wrote the Associated Press' Christy Lemire.
Lionsgate
"The Big Wedding" focuses on the extended Griffin family who reunite for the wedding of adopted son Alejandro (Ben Barnes) and his fiancée Missy (Amanda Seyfried). Williams has a small role as the wedding's eccentric officiant.
"Big wedding? Big fat nothing, more like," wrote Charlotte O'Sullivan of the London Evening Standard.
Lionsgate
When Henry (Williams) finds out that a brain aneurysm may very well kill him in 90 minutes, he makes it his biggest priority to reconnect with friends and family before it's too late.
"The film never quite manages to figure out what it's actually about," wrote Bilge Ebiri of Vulture.
Columbia Pictures
Matthau and Williams team up as two men who meet on the unemployment line and witness a murder by a hit man by accident. When it becomes clear that the hit man (Jerry Reed) is now after them, Williams' character Donald enrolls them both in survivalist school to learn how to defends themselves.
"No one seems to have paid any attention to the screenplay or to have considered the awful truth that Mr. Matthau and Mr. Williams, each performers of great charm, don't play together very well," wrote The New York Times' Vincent Canby.
Lionsgate
"House of D" mostly takes place in 1973, when teenager Tom (Anton Yelchin) meets a mentally disabled man Pappass (Williams) and becomes good friends with him. Tom also develops a crush on his schoolmate Melissa (played by Williams' daughter Zelda).
"'House of D' never feels honest, but when Duchovny consciously tries to score sentiment points, the strain is more than the film can handle," wrote Tasha Robinson of the AV Club.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Williams stars as retired firefighter Jack Moniker who opens a resort on a tropical island with a reggae singer, played by Jimmy Reed. Over the course of the film, they deal with eager tourists, eccentric locals, and greedy land developers who wish to stop them.
"A frenetically unfunny and charmless movie," wrote the Los Angeles Times' Sheila Benson.
Phase 4 Films/Entertainment One Films
In "A Merry Friggin' Christmas," Williams plays an eccentric father, Mitch. His son, Boyd (Joel McHale), is forced to spend Christmas Eve at his parents' house, and team up with his father to race home on Christmas morning to help his son open presents.
"Whereas 'Bad Santa' was nastier and riskier, as well as more mischievously winsome, 'A Merry Friggin' Christmas' is as curiously timid as it is morally dubious," wrote Slant Magazine's Nick Prigge.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Jack (Williams) is born after his mother is pregnant for just 10 weeks, but is somehow the size of a full-term baby. He is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that makes his body age rapidly — meaning that, for most of the movie, he's a 10-year-old in the body of a 40-year-old.
"Mr. Williams is lively and sometimes touching, but this is one of his less freewheeling performances, with little room for spontaneity in the film's mostly conventional scheme," wrote The New York Times' Janet Maslin.
Lionsgate
"Absolutely Anything" focuses on Simon Pegg's Neil Clarke, who is empowered by a race of aliens to do whatever he wants, in order to determine if humanity is worth saving or not.
The Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Dalton wrote, "'Absolutely Anything' is a good idea but is executed poorly, with a lame take-home message about great power demanding great responsibility."
Universal Pictures
Williams plays Tom Dobbs, the host a political satire show a la "The Daily Show." After an audience suggestion that he runs for president gains steam, Dobbs actually announces his campaign and begins to gain steam, while an employee at a voting machine company begins to notice discrepancies.
Cath Clarke of The Guardian wrote, "Cynicism or stupidity? It's hard to say which has the run of this idiotic satire in which Robin Williams plays a talk-show host who runs for president on a ticket of cleaning up politics."
Universal/Getty Images
"Patch Adams" is based on a real doctor, Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, who decides to change the way that doctors view patient care by opening his own clinic for those without insurance. While some critics didn't appreciate the film's sugary sweet tone, it scored a 73% with audiences.
"Shamelessly sappy and emotionally manipulative, 'Patch Adams' is an aggressively heartwarming comedy-drama that may be roasted by critics but embraced by ticket buyers," wrote Joe Leydon for Variety.
Buena Vista Pictures
Based on the 1961 film "The Absent-Minded Professor," Williams plays the single-minded Professor Philip Brainard, who is so committed to his cause that he misses his own wedding three times. Instead, he creates a mysterious kinetic goo that he names "flubber" that has the power to change the world.
"It's pointless, soulless, humorless and relentlessly unimaginative," wrote The Baltimore Sun's Chris Kaltenbach.
Sony Pictures Releasing
Williams stars as the patriarch of the Munro family, Bob, who takes his entire family on an RV road-trip to reconnect before it's too late. His wife Jamie is played by Cheryl Hines, while his two kids are played by Joanna Levesque (aka JoJo) and Josh Hutcherson.
"It will likely escape no one's attention that 'RV' is a direct crib from the marginally more entertaining and kinda-sorta transgressive series of 'National Lampoon's Vacation' films," wrote Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle.
Warner Bros.
When teenager Scott goes missing, his mother enlists two of her old flames, Dale (Williams) and Jack (Crystal) to find him by telling them both that they're Scott's dad. When they realize her lie, they decide to team up and find Scott together, regardless of who Scott's real dad is.
"A movie of implacable unfunniness," wrote Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern.
Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images
"Nine Months" mainly focuses on Grant and Moore's characters, Samuel and Rebecca, who discover that Rebecca is pregnant — and Samuel isn't too pleased about it. Over the course of nine months, they both evaluate what they want from their lives and their relationship. Williams plays Rebecca's OB-GYN in a typically odd performance.
"Any charm he might possess has been squeezed out by the Hollywood machine, and the little shots of Hugh rollerblading, or Hugh getting his ears pierced, are scarcely enough to create new endearments," wrote The Times UK's Geoff Brown.
Ray Tamarra/Getty Images
Kevin Spacey stars as a therapist to the stars, Henry Crane, who is secretly experiencing his own mental health crisis. But when he meets would-be screenwriter Jemma (Keke Palmer), Henry is forced to confront his demons. Williams has an uncredited role as one of Henry's patients, Jack Holden, an A-lister who denies he's an alcoholic.
"A limply-organized multi-story snooze-fest from Jonas Pate," wrote The Daily Telegraph's Tim Robey.
Convex Group
Four seemingly unrelated New Yorkers intersect across the holiday season. Williams has a small role involving Susan Sarandon's character Rose, whose mother is living in the hospital due to her Alzheimer's diagnosis.
"Except for die-hard students of extremely bad movies, 'Noel' isn't worth seeing," wrote the New York Post's Lou Lumenick.
TriStar Pictures
"Hook" is another Williams vehicle that has a low critics' score, but a high audience one, pulling a 76%. Williams plays Peter Banning, a distracted father who must return to Neverland after Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his kids — only Peter doesn't have any memory of his time with the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell, or anything to do with Neverland, not even that he's Peter Pan.
"What Williams brings to Peter though isn't just his effervescence, it's his pathos and vulnerability. He's a scared, confused man just hoping to save his kids and that core of love and humanity is what makes 'Hook' work for those of us that love it," wrote Jessica Mason of The Mary Sue.
Columbia/Tristar/Getty Images
In "Jakob the Liar," Williams plays the titular Jakob, a Jewish tailor living in a Polish ghetto during World War II. While listening to the radio in his shop, he overhears Soviet plans and rumors spread among the residents. He decides to use this newfound power to spread hope amongst his neighbors, potentially at the cost of his own safety.
"I prefer 'Life Is Beautiful,' which is clearly a fantasy, to 'Jakob the Liar,' which is just as contrived and manipulative but pretends it is not," wrote Roger Ebert.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Image
Williams plays the childlike toy-maker Leslie Zevo, while Michael Gambon plays his brother Leland. When their older brother leaves the family's toy factory to the power-hungry Leland, Leslie must use his love of toys to defeat his brother, who's using toys to create weapons.
"No child I know would benefit from seeing this work, and certainly no adult," wrote Vanessa Letts of The Spectator.
Ernesto Ruscio/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Williams plays Paul Barnell, a man who finds a dead body and, in order to receive an insurance payout on his missing brother's life insurance policy, attempts to pass off the body as his brother, which works ... until his brother Raymond (Woody Harrelson) returns.
"The director here is a bright British spark, Mark Mylod, but there's nothing he can do with a script so dire," wrote Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian.
Universal Pictures
Two childhood best friends Jack (Williams) and Reno (Russell) reunite decades after a fateful high school football seemingly changed the course of their lives. To get things back on track, they try to re-stage the game and relive their glory days.
"Such a rouser that it almost makes up for the incomplete passes and stopped runs that precede it," wrote Walter Goodman for The New York Times.
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
"Bicentennial Man" follows Williams as Andrew, an advanced kind of robot who begins the film as a glorified household appliance and evolves into a complex being capable of creativity, love, and the full spectrum of human emotion.
"One could describe this movie as the story of a woman (Embeth Davidtz) who falls in love with a household appliance (Robin Williams). But that would make it sound funny. While there are a few good jokes scattered about, this is, alas, yet another of Williams's earnest attempts to make us all Better, More Sensitive People," wrote Newsweek's David Ansen.
Warner Bros. Pictures
"August Rush" stars Freddie Highmore as a young orphan who is also a musical prodigy. He runs away from his home to try and find his birth parents, meeting many characters along the way, including Williams' Wizard, an NYC busker who tries to exploit August's talents for himself.
Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian wrote, "Watching this yucky emotional drama is like being sprayed with treacle from a high-pressure hose."
Warner Bros. Pictures
In the future of "The Final Cut," human beings are equipped with microchips that record their entire lives. "Cutters," like Williams' Alan, have access to a person's memories after they die, in order to edit out anything less than flattering. And when Alan is offered $500,000 to turn over someone's memories, he falls down a rabbit hole.
"A shtick-free Robin Williams underplays so much he makes his morose loner in 'One Hour Photo' look like Mork," wrote Variety's Leslie Felperin.
Miramax Films
Williams plays a gay radio host, Gabriel, who develops a friendship with Pete (Rory Culkin), a young teenager living with HIV who confides in Gabriel about his horrible upbringing. Along the way, Gabriel becomes close with Peter's mother (Toni Collette), but before long, Gabriel begins to question the existence of Peter at all.
"Mr. Williams, in one of his blessedly shtick-free performances, effectively conveys Gabriel's weary, worried stoicism, but the movie limits his character to a few easy, literal motivations," wrote A.O. Scott of The New York Times.
20th Century Fox
"Everyone's Hero," directed by the late Christopher Reeves, is about a young baseball fanatic in the 1930s who decides to make a cross-country trip to reunite Babe Ruth with his anthropomorphic baseball bat, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. Williams plays the corrupt manager of the Chicago Cubs who orchestrated the theft of the bat.
"This animated ode to baseball feels like it arrived in a time machine from the distant past when G-rated children's movies got their message across without sarcasm, innuendo, and pop-culture references," wrote the Austin Chronicle's Brian Clark.
Warner Bros. Pictures
In "Death to Smoochy," Williams plays a Mr. Rogers-esque figure named "Rainbow" Randolph Smiley, who actually lives a seedier lifestyle than he'd have anyone believe. After he's arrested by the FBI, he plots to take down his successor, Sheldon Mopes, who goes on stage as a rhino named Smoochy.
"'Death to Smoochy' is all noise with very little fun, and almost no restraint," wrote Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.
20th Century Fox
The first "Night at the Museum" focuses on the night watchman at New York City's Musuem of Natural History, Larry (Ben Stiller), who is amazed when the exhibits come to life at night.
"What a dull, nice movie, wrenched from a wild premise and battered into docility," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum.
IRS Media
"Shakes the Clown" is mainly focused on a clown, Shakes, who is down-on-his-luck and becomes an alcoholic, played by Bobcat Goldthwait. Williams, credited as Marty Fromage, has a cameo as a mime, aptly named Mime Jerry.
"The movie plays like a series of scene outlines — ideas for how the movie should progress — that needed more writing and revision before the actors were called in," wrote Roger Ebert.
IFC Films
"The Face of Love" follows Nikki (Bening) as a widow who falls in love with a man, Tom (Harris), who looks suspiciously liked her dead husband Garrett. Williams plays Nikki's neighbor, Roger, who is harboring feelings for her.
"The actors, though, lift the material. The most poignant performance comes from the late Robin Williams in a cameo as Nikki's neighbor and friend," wrote Geoffrey Macnab of the Independent.
20th Century Fox
"Battle of the Smithsonian" takes the action to Washington, DC, inside the Smithsonian Museum, where their mystical power is brought to one of the largest museum's in the world, causing chaos.
"Robin Williams, as well, explodes every single time he's onscreen in a performance with even more spark and humor than in the original," wrote The Independent Critic's Richard Propes.
Warner Bros. Pictures
In "Happy Feet Two," Williams' plays the main character Mumble's (Elijah Wood) two best friends: Ramón, a laid-back Adélie penguin who speaks with a heavy accent, and Lovelace, a rockhopper penguin who coasts by on vibes alone.
"If there's a saving grace, it's the visuals, especially the beautiful scenes of orange krill. But that's about all," wrote Time Out's Derek Adams.
20th Century Fox
"Secret of the Tomb" concluded the (live-action) "Night at the Museum" trilogy, as the whole gang flies to the British Museum to see why their magic has been fading and causing problems at the Museum of Natural History. Williams' final scene as Roosevelt remains heartbreaking, almost 10 years later.
"The most poignant moment is the farewell to Roosevelt, played one final time by Robin Williams. Otherwise, 'Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb' is an instance of an idea stretched far beyond its potential," wrote Udita Jhunjhunwala of Livemint.
20th Century Fox
"The Secret Agent" follows a (presumed) Russian spy named Adolf Verloc (Bob Hoskins) ans his group of fellow terrorists, the FP, or Future of the Proletariat. Williams has a small role as one of the members of the FP, only named the Professor, who is obsessed with making bombs.
"As Conrad observed often in his work, the deliberate rejection of pity, empathy, and order (aka evil) is seductive because of the total freedom it offers. The character who embodies this principle in 'The Secret Agent' is a Mephistophelian bomb-maker called The Professor, played with startling brilliance by an uncredited Robin Williams," wrote the Austin Chronicle's Russell Smith.
Starz Digital
Williams stars as Nolan Mack, a closeted man who has been married for 26 years to a woman named Joy (Kathy Baker). Both are seemingly content with their monotonous existence until Nolan encounters Leo (Roberto Aguire), and dedicates all of his time to helping him escape his difficult life.
"The late, great Robin Williams brings great nuance to the anguished Nolan's inner struggle in a slight but sensitive story about a man facing a life-changing choice," wrote David Hughes of Empire Magazine.
TriStar/Getty Images
Giving nightmares to every '90s kid, "Jumanji" is about a cursed jungle-themed board game that will curse anyone who dares playing without committing to finishing the game. Williams stars as the adult version of Alan Parrish, who got sucked into the game while playing in 1969 and is released 26 years later when Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) begin a new game.
"It's inevitable that the technology both overwhelms the human cast and stalls the narrative drive. Even Williams's manic energy finally flags," wrote the Washington Post's Rita Kempley.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
After Chris (Williams) dies in a car accident, he's sent to his own version of heaven — but whe his wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra) commits suicide in her grief, Chris dedicates his afterlife to finding her and rescuing her from her own personal hell.
"Robin Williams ... gives an achingly sincere performance, and by the end it's hard to avoid the feeling that this much sincerity is too much," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Josh Wolk.
Warner Bros.
"Being Human" follows a soul, Hector, across five different reincarnations: as a caveman, a slave in Ancient Rome, a Scottish crusader, a Portuguese shipwrecked man in the Renaissance, and a modern '90s man living in New York City.
"The stories are low-key and deliberately anti-climactic, but they coalesce into a tender, contemplative whole that's profound and moving," reads Time Out's review.
Orion Pictures
Williams plays Joey O'Brien, a car salesman who is dealing with rising alimony payments, two mistresses, an outstanding loan to the Mafia, and a deadline to sell 12 cars in two days or lose his job. When his dealership is taken hostage by Larry (Tim Robbins), Joey must figure out how to solve yet another problem.
"My problems with 'Cadillac Man' were probably inspired more by false expectations than by anything on the screen, and maybe if Robbins had come crashing in through the window in the first scene I would have liked it more," wrote Roger Ebert.
Paramount Pictures
Williams stars as Popeye, a spinach-loving pirate, while Shelley Duvall plays the object of his desires, Olive Oyl, as they try to raise their adopted child Swee'Pea while staying away from Olive's jilted fiancé Bluto (Paul L. Smith). You can still visit the set of "Popeye" in Malta, today.
Rex Reed of the New York Daily News wrote, "A flawed extravagance, but if you can survive its stumbling pace, its mumbling actors and its dreadful songs, you will eventually experience a charming, unique fantasy world quite unlike anything you've seen before."
20th Century Fox
"FernGully" is an allegory for rainforest deforestation, as it tells the story of an Australian rainforest inhabited by fairies. When one of the fairies accidentally encounters a human logger named Zak and shrinks him to fairy-size, everyone must come together to save the forest from loggers. Williams plays an eccentric bat, Batty Koda.
"The visuals are very pleasing. The story tells a useful lesson, the jungle inhabitants are amusing, and although the movie is not a masterpiece it's pleasant to watch for its humor and sweetness," wrote Roger Ebert.
20th Century Fox
"Robots" takes place in a world solely populated by robots, and follows Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor), an aspiring inventor who dedicates his time to fixing outdated robots who need new parts, against the wishes of Phineas T. Ratchet (Greg Kinnear), who would rather let old robots die than give them upgrades for free. Williams' Fender is an older robot who has escaped the system who Rodney meets on his journey.
"Ultimately 'Robots' is fully functional and polished to perfection — just as if it came off the conveyor belt yesterday," wrote Stella Papamichael of the BBC.
The Weinstein Company
"The Butler" focuses on the story of real-life White House butler Eugene Allen, though his name is changed to Cecil Gaines for the film. He worked in the White House for 34 years, seeing many historical events. Williams plays President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the first president during Cecil's tenure.
"Because we've seen the elements of this genre before, the film severely telegraphs its emotional beats ... Its only saving grace is the talent of the actors involved. Otherwise the film would fall flat on its face," wrote KCCI Des Moines' Damond Fudge.
20th Century
When you truly think about it, it's wild that "Mrs. Doubtfire" succeeds at all. It follows divorced dad Daniel Hillard (Williams) who, in order to spend more time with his kids, decides to dress in drag as a Scottish housekeeper named Mrs. Doubtfire, duping his ex-wife and kids into hiring her and bonding with her.
"You can't take 'Mrs. Doubtfire' seriously for a moment, its daddy-track sympathies notwithstanding, and you'll know exactly where it's going at every turn. You'll laugh, though Robin Williams will not be denied," wrote The Miami Herald's Bill Cosford.
Fine Line Features
In one of Allen's more meta films, "Deconstructing Harry" sees Harry (Allen) be confronted by both people in his real life and fictional characters he's constructed. Williams plays the fictional version of Harry in the film, named Mel, who begins sliding out of focus as Harry's perception of himself becomes damaged.
"'Deconstructing Harry' is abrasive, complex, lacerating and self-revelatory. It's also very funny, most of the time," wrote Variety's David Stratton.
Warner Bros.
"Garp" sees Williams star as the titular Garp, a man born out of wedlock to a radical feminist who then becomes a writer and has an unique life.
As Molly Haskell of Vogue wrote, "Casting Robin Williams in the role was a stroke of genius."
Warner Bros. Pictures
The first "Happy Feet" focuses on a penguin, Mumble (Elijah Wood), who, instead of singing like all the other penguins, is a talented dancer. Although he is excluded by his community of emperor penguins, he finds friends like Ramón and Lovelace, as well as an elephant seal Cletus (all voiced by Williams).
"'Happy Feet' will be remembered for its animation breakthroughs and fine voicing," wrote John Hayes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Paramount Pictures
A woman arrives at an orphanage with no memory of who she is. When a private detective Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) gets involved, he brings her to a hypnotist Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi), who helps her get in touch with past lives, revealing that she and Mike have more in common than they thought. Williams plays a friend of Mike's, a psychologist who encourages the visits with Madson.
"As the twists come thick and fast and the plot gets progressively more and more baroque, Branagh shows himself to be at least as intelligent as Brian De Palma in delivering over-the-top stylistic filigree," wrote the Chicago Reader's Jonathan Rosenbaum.
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Williams plays a socially awkward and isolated photo technician, Sy, at a one-hour photo counter in a Walmart-esque store called SavMart. He's obsessed with the Yorkin family, who have been developing their photos at his store for years. But when Sy realizes that the Yorkins aren't as picture-perfect as he believed, he snaps.
"'One Hour Photo' is a very well-made thriller. It shows us Robin Williams extending his acting range into unusual and disturbing material. And as well as causing acute anxiety in its last reels, it delivers a more moral message than most of its kind," wrote the London Evening Standard's Alexander Walker.
Touchstone Pictures/Getty Images
"Dead Poets Society" is set at a fictional Vermont boarding school in 1959, in which Williams plays Professor John Keating, the new English teacher who uses unorthodox methods to teach his students about poetry, teaching them to seize the day and make their lives extraordinary.
"On the surface Robin Williams appears to be giving his standard performance as Prof. Keating — witty, sincere and lovable. But there's much more here," wrote Hank Gallo of the New York Daily News.
Frank Trapper/Corbis/Getty Images
Based on the French film "La Cage aux Folles," "The Birdcage" stars Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple living in Miami who must pretend to be straight after their son announces his intentions to marry a woman with conservative parents. Hijinks ensue.
"If 'The Birdcage' isn't exactly the Mike Nichols-Elaine May movie of our dreams, it does manage to transform what was formerly a campy bit of French fluff into one of the loopiest, most hysterical family-values movies ever made," wrote the Washington Post's Hal Hinson.
Tri-Star Pictures
In "The Fisher King," Williams plays an un-housed person, Parry, who suffered a mental breakdown after watching his wife get murdered at a mass shooting. When he meets a depressed shock jock Jack (Jeff Bridges), the two team up to find the "Holy Grail," which Parry believes is real.
"A humane, empathetic, and very funny movie about a couple of down-on-their-luck guys, one of whom was a full-on street person," wrote Stephen Silver of Tilt Magazine.
Columbia Pictures
Williams stars as a Soviet circus perfomer, Vladimir Ivanov, who escapes to New York City and adjusts to life as an American.
"It made me feel good to be an American, and good that Vladimir Ivanoff was going to be one, too," wrote Roger Ebert.
Magnolia Pictures
"World's Greatest Dad" stars Williams as Lance Clayton, a failed writer who seizes the chance to get fame after his son accidentally kills himself. To save his deceased's son's dignity, Lance stages his accidental death to look like a suicide, and writes a fake note, which becomes a huge sensation. It's all very "Dear Evan Hansen."
"Williams is terrific as the downtrodden Lance, who guiltily seizes his chance of fame. The film's direction isn't always confident — there are baggy sections, and it's rarely deeply moving — but it is consistently funny," wrote Metro UK's Anna Smith.
Columbia Pictures
Based on a true story, "Awakenings" stars Williams as a neurologist who discovers the effects of a medicine on a group of catatonic patients who were affected by an epidemic of encephalitis. Dr. Sayer (Williams) bonds with one of the awakened patients, Leonard (Robert De Niro) and learns to change his life.
"Williams gives his best 'straight' performance, shorn of all his marvelous manic vaudeville. The man he plays here is not a performer, which he was even in 'Dead Poets Society,' but simply a man," wrote Stanley Kauffman for The New Republic.
Touchstone Pictures
Set during the Vietnam War in Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City), Williams stars as a DJ on the Armed Forces Radio Service named Adrian Cronauer (a real-life Army DJ). While his superiors disapprove of his broadcasts, they prove to be popular with the soldiers and boost morale.
"Make no mistake about it: Mr. Williams's performance, though it's full of uproarious comedy, is the work of an accomplished actor. 'Good Morning, Vietnam' is one man's tour de force," wrote The New York Times' Vincent Canby.
Columbia Pictures
The biggest box-office flop of 1988, "Baron" is about an 18th-century German nobleman and his fight against the Ottoman Empire. Williams has an uncredited role as the King of the Moon.
"'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' is a fairy tale of large heart and limitless vision. Like its maker, it staunchly defies the exigencies of reason to pursue a bigger vision of imagination," wrote Dennis King of Tulsa World.
Warner Bros. Pictures/Summit Entertainment/Touchstone Pictures
Pacino plays Detective Will Dormer, a detective who is sent to Alaska to assist the local police with a murder investigation, although Will isn't exactly living within the law himself. He's plagued with insomnia after accidentally (or maybe not accidentally) shooting his partner. All the while, he's investigating local crime writer Walter Finch (Williams).
"With a run-of-the-mill bad-guy actor playing chief suspect Walter Finch, the movie might have tipped too far Pacino's way. But Robin Williams is a shockingly effective counterweight," wrote Slate's David Edelstein.
Disney
The movie may be called "Aladdin," but the film's runaway star is the magical lamp-confined genie, voiced to perfection by Williams. When Aladdin discovers the lamp and meets Genie, who grants him three wishes, he's taken on a dangerous adventure to save the kingdom and get the girl, Princess Jasmine.
"Behind the mask of animation, Williams has discovered a limitless stage for stand-up comedy," wrote Brian D. Johnson of Maclean's Magazine.
Sony Pictures Releasing
Shakespearean drama "Hamlet" follows the young prince of Denmark who becomes convinced that his uncle killed his father, the king, in order to take power for himself. Williams has a small role as Osric, a courtier who invites Hamlet to duel with Laertes.
"A work of tremendous personal ambition equipped with a budget nearly equal in magnitude," wrote Slant Magazine's Rob Humanick.
Miramax Films
Williams steals the show as kindly psychology professor Sean Maguire, who teaches Will Hunting (Matt Damon) how to be vulnerable and not be afraid of using his genius-level intellect.
"It's a movie that captures (in a way that perhaps an older screenwriter could not convey) the limitless possibilities of youth, a movie in which a character can tell another, without cynicism, "You could do anything you want. You are bound by nothing," wrote Jason Bailey of Vice.
All 63 Robin Williams movies, ranked by critics
Source: Kalayaan News
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