The Fisher King (1991)

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writer (WGA):

Richard LaGravenese (written by)

Release Date:

20 September 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Modern Day Tale About The Search For Love, Sanity, Ethel Merman And The Holy Grail.

Plot:

A radio DJ, suicidally despondent because of a horrible mistake he made, finds redemption in helping a deranged homeless man who was a victim of it.

Plot Keywords:

Massacre | Friendship | Redemption | Holy Grail | Love

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Lucas
Robin Williams	...	Parry
Mercedes Ruehl	...	Anne Napolitano
Amanda Plummer	...	Lydia Sinclair
David Hyde Pierce	...	Lou Rosen (as David Pierce)
Adam Bryant	...	Radio engineer
Paul Lombardi	...	Radio engineer
Ted Ross	...	Limo bum
Lara Harris	...	Sondra
Warren Olney	...	TV anchorman
Frazer Smith	...	News reporter
Kathy Najimy	...	Crazed video customer
Harry Shearer	...	Sitcom actor Ben Starr
Melinda Culea	...	Sitcom wife
James Remini	...	Bum at hotel

MPAA:

Rated R for language and violence.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Peru:14 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

101 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The "castle" in New York is the facade of the Squadron A Armory, now part of the Hunter College Campus Schools building, located at 94th and Madison Avenue. When Robin Williams tells the story of the fisher king, he says, "I think I heard it at a lecture once... I don't know... a professor... at Hunter."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the double date dinner at the Chinese restaurant Anne unlocks the door to the apartment and puts her keys in her purse. The next scene she is hugging Jack and you can clearly see the keys still in her hand.

Quotes:

Parry: You have a great set of... dishes.
Anne Napolitano: Jack, he's trying to make small talk...
Jack Lucas: Then talk to him, he won't bite you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Criminal Minds: The Fisher King: Part 2 (#2.1)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Hit The Road Jack

The perfect Robin Williams movie (and much more)

This movie is really exceptional in a lot of ways. It's got one of those plots, full of ironic reversals and personal struggle, that's been turned into melodramatic trash in every creative medium ever invented. With Robin Williams as the magic crazy guy and Jeff Bridges in an 80s ponytail, the ways the basic concept could have gone awry (in other hands) are truly frightening to contemplate. But with Terry Gilliam at the helm, The Fisher King speaks to your emotions more directly and powerfully than 90% of the movies out there without degenerating into sappiness.

Perhaps the most brilliant acheivement of this movie is the way it takes Robin Williams' crazy-improvisational persona and makes it an integral part of the story. Instead of being a tacked-on adjunct to the "real" movie, Williams' stream-of-consciousness patter is essential to the work as a whole.

At the same time, Gilliam is making an almost-mainstream movie for the first time in his career, while explicitly referencing his past (the Holy Grail). It all comes together into a movie you will never forget.