I'mmmmmm Fiftay!

So, this is my 50th post....
To celebrate the occasion, I thought I'd review my personal all-time favorite film. As I've mentioned before, I'm terrible at praising things, but since I've been meaning to give this one a shot for some time now, here goes nothin' (spoiler alert -- I give it five stars).

The Fisher King (1991)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101889/


Netflix description:
Shock-jock Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) becomes racked with guilt after a listener takes Jack's tirades to heart, resulting in a bloodbath at a New York City hot spot. Jack sinks into a depression, drinking himself nearly to death and sponging off his girlfriend (Oscar-winner Mercedes Ruehl). When Jack hits bottom, he's ready to end it all. Could a dotty homeless man (Robin Williams) whose wife died in the carnage be Jack's chance for redemption?

The Fisher King is what happens when every component of good filmmaking comes together in one package. From its inspired direction, to its excellent acting (and everything in between), this is a beautiful picture from start to finish. I rank it among Ed Wood and Trust as my very favorites.

Pompous New York shock jock Jack Lucas is thrown into a world self-doubt when one of his on-air rants leads to a night club massacre. Unable to cope with the guilt, Jack descends into alcoholism, quits his show, and winds up working at his girlfriend's video store. One drunken night, Jack is attacked by a group of vigilantes, but is saved by a homeless man named Parry who, as we learn, thinks he's a knight on a mission to recover the Holy Grail from a mansion somewhere near Central Park. For various reasons, Jack decides to help Parry not only pursue the Grail, but also win the heart of a girl he loves.


Only a visionary like Terry Gilliam could have made a story this complex work. The Fisher King walks the line between comedy and drama; fantasy and realism. In this film, we see New York City depicted like it never has before -- as though it's a place where fairy tales happen. Instead of the usual bleak, gritty shots of tough NYC, we get a colorful, through-a-child's eyes kind of the city. Since Parry's is a fantasy world of knights and dragons, we often see the city from that perspective, and when dark, hard reality encroaches, the contrast is all the more stark. Jack helps in this regard -- as the true main character, he keeps us grounded in sanity. For example, in one scene, Parry and Jack encounter a man trying to get trampled by horses in Central Park. Parry thinks the guy is some kind of damsel in need of a knight's hand; Jack knows he's really just a depressed cabaret performer. Another scene in which Parry follows his main squeeze through Grand Central Station while Jack watches from the sidelines is one of the the most beautiful things ever to be put on film, and also a perfect example of this picture's remarkable duality:


Now, I'm not normally much of a Robin Williams fan, but here, he's given an ideal outlet for his usual manic shtick. Parry is tragic, funny, and charming all at once; I can't imagine anyone else playing him. The same applies to the rest of the cast, as well. The Fisher King brings together a perfect selection of actors who compliment each other in ways no other cast could. Jeff Bridges, as Jack, is rock solid straight man. Dark, morose, brooding -- his symbiotic relationship with Parry makes him a new person by the end of the film, and we watch the transformation. Mercedes Ruhl, in an Oscar-winning performance as Jack's suffering girlfriend, makes us want to slap the jerk for the way he treats her. She's a dramatic supernova in one later scene when Jack calls for a break-up.

The Fisher King to this day maintains a cult following, I think largely due to its writing. There's a lot to be found in Richard LaGravanese's script -- enough for this to have been a novel, really -- and I rank it as the best-written film of the 1990s. Some viewers complain that the ending feels "tacked on", as if the final 20 minutes should have been dropped. However, I strongly disagree. With a story like this, we needed to walk away with a smile, and the final pan-up-to-the-horizon shot of this film often causes my eyes to well up.

Beautifully shot, written, scored, and acted, The Fisher King is a truly special movie. Rarely do all the right elements converge to produce a result quite like this. I recommend it to all.

5 out of 5.

b.