Gilliam, as a member of the Python troupe, has always been great at funny and quirky, of which this film certainly has its moments. In the Fisher King though, Gilliam shows that he can handle other emotions with equal adeptness and with more subtlety than his previous films. The first 9 min. and 2 secs. of this film are a brilliant setup for what follows and Gilliam doesn’t dissappoint with the rest of the film. He still manages to get some of his trademark visuals in, but has really seemed to refine his filmmaking skills with this flcik and continues to do so to this day (12 Monkeys, Fear and Loathing, Tideland…) There are some extraordinany sequences (like the waltz in Grand Central Station) that amaze me when I think about Gilliams beginnings as the animator and token American of Python ( and clapping together those freaking coconuts in The Holy Grail.) As for Williams performance, I have to say that this is one of my favorites. I’ve always liked him better in the roles where he gets to show some depth in his acting abilities. Not everyone agrees; one of my fellow ‘consumers’ longs for the younger, coked up Williams. Now that I think of it, that’s what I kept saying to myself while watching Awakenings. “Shucks, this movie would be HILARIOUS if only Robin Williams was strung out. Maybe more of a Patch Adams in a Mental Hospital kind of thing.” Seriously though, this movie wasn’t intended to be a Robin Williams stand up routine, nor was it intended to be one of those screwball comedies that Hollywood churns out for the mindless masses that think Maritn Lawrence is actually funny. The comedy is more subtle, and the performances have depth, particularly Jeff Bridges. Of course I believe he is one of the most under appreciated actors out there. Great movie.

While a bit quirky (probably Williams more than anything) it doesn’t have anything really fanciful / interesting.

Someone previously was spot on in saying that it tries to be deep and fails.

god i wish robin wiliams would just get back on coke…SOOO much funnier. he’s as funny on coke as he thinks he is all the time. which is an accomplishment. i mean, how many people have actually been funny on coke? john belushi. chevy chase. chris farley. umm…i cant think of any more right now. so he should consider himself lucky.

This film is not so much about the holy grail,really, it is about human emotions, tragedy and the mind’s struggle to recover from the tragedy. It is also a love story. It is a necessity to see if you are a Jeff Bridges fan, he plays the goodlooking shallow dj, and Robin Williams is brilliant as Perry, the medievalesque street bum trying to escape his madness. My favourite scene is still Perry’s serenade in the chinese restaurant…

Wow! This movie tries to be real deep but it fails. If you want a movie about the Holy Grail watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail again, and avoid this monstrosity!!!!!!

This movie reminded me of a poem that I’ve always liked. I dug it out of storage so I can post it. I bolded the part in particular that makes me think of The Fisher King.

Fugitive
by Francisco X. Alarcon

I’ve had
to bear
the days
anonymously
like a shadow
slip
through the city
without raising
suspicions

I’ve avoided
countless roads
jumped
every fence
always
fleeing
with a haste
that bites
my heels
and barely
lets me
breathe

hiding behind
so many
illusions
for so
many years
that now
I don’t
even know
the face
of my soul
or recall
what brought me
to this fugitive’s life

my crime
must have
been
as huge as
the darkness
found in
my punishment

above all
I’ve sought
the mute
company
of night

I’ve learned
to fake
nearly everything
but
still
when next to you
I’m given away
by the empty
pounding
of my heart