Remembering Robin Williams: His 10 Best Roles

The Fisher King, Insomnia, The Birdcage, Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, Hook, Good Will Hunting, Good Morning Vietnam, The World According to Garp, World's Greatest Dad, Awakenings. These are the Robin Williams movies I saw in the past week after I heard the news of his tragic death last monday afternoon. Besides the fact they all star Robin Williams, what these movies have most in common is how uncommon they are. This was the trademark of Robin Williams's career. He wasn't just a genius comedian, he was a great actor who could play any role, be it a homeless man suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a manipulative killer, a gay nightclub owner, a british nanny, an animated Genie, a grown up Peter Pan, a therapist battling his own demons, a radio DJ, and many others.

Even though you couldn't pin Robin Williams to one genre or one type of character, in the 90s he did star in a string of family movies that helped shape my childhood; Hook (1991), Ferngully: The Last Rainforest and Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Jack (1996), and Flubber (1997), which I still remember going to see in theaters to celebrate my 11th birthday. In real life Williams was known for his giving nature, and with all these movies he was able to share his gift of joy and laughter with families all over the world, mine included(As I write this, my 3-year old son is watching Aladdin for the 3rd time this week). I believe this giving nature is one of the main reasons Robin Williams was such a fabulous actor.

Even though he was a larger-than-life persona, more often than not Robin Williams would share the spotlight or take a secondary role for the benefit of the movie he was making. This afforded him the opportunity to work with many of the greatest actors of his time, including Oscar Winners such as: Jeff Bridges, Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Sally Field, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Forrest Whitaker, and Robert DeNiro(What a list, right?). Many of Williams's classic characters fit this description, including Prof. John Keating in Dead Poets Society, Dr. Malcolm Sayer in Awakenings, Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting, and Armand Goldman in The Birdcage. In some cases, his characters wouldn't even show up until the end of the first act of the movie, or later. Two examples of this are: the Genie in Aladdin, who finally shoots out of the magic lamp at the 35-minute mark, and Mrs. Doubtfire, who shows up at the door only out of Daniel Hillard's first act desperation to be with his children.

There is one particular movie in which Williams's character doesn't show up until after the 1-hour mark, but his performance is so good that it makes my list of His 10 Best Roles. And that's exactly where I'll start. Just know that it was very difficult to narrow down Robin Williams's incredible career to just 10 roles. And of course, this list doesn't even include his T.V. career and his unforgettable stand-up routines. For now, let's focus on his most indelible film performances, starting with ...

10) Walter Finch in Insomnia

Why it's on the list:

Because Williams is perfectly cast against type. Because of his face to face scenes with Al Pacino(see above). Because before we get to see his face, we get a very creepy Robin Williams telephone voice that reminded me of John Doe in Seven.

9) Jack Powell in Jack

Why it's on the list:

Because after behaving like a 10-year old for most of his career, this time he actually got to play one. Because even though the movie has its flaws, Robin Williams's performance isn't one of them. Standout scenes include Jack dominating a basketball game with other 10-year olds, Williams, as 10-year old Jack, pretending to be an adult to buy nude magazines, and Jack asking his teacher(Jennifer Lopez) to the school dance.

8) Prof. John Keating in Dead Poets Society

Why it's on the list:

Because even though I didn't love the movie like many others, there is no denying that Robin Williams created one of the most iconic movie teachers ever. Because of "Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary." Because Williams received his 2nd career Best Actor Oscar nomination for this performance.

7) Parry in The Fisher King

Why it's on the list:

Because this role is Williams at his manic best. Because of Parry's first kiss with Lydia, which could be the most romantic scene in Robin Williams's career. Because of Parry fully nude in Central Park. Because this role earned Williams his 3rd Best Actor Oscar nomination in a 5-year span.

6) Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning, Vietnam

Why it's on the list:

Imagine if the Genie from Aladdin were stuck in a radio booth, that's what you have here. Because of "GOOOOOD MOOOORNING VIETNAM!!!" Because of Williams's, I mean Cronauer's, impromptu stand-up routine for the troops on the caravan, one of the greatest scenes of Williams's career for me. Because of the baseball game with the locals before saying goodbye. Because this role earned Williams a well deserved first career Best Actor Oscar nomination. Watch this clip of Williams's best moments from the film.

5) Seymour 'Sy' Parrish in One Hour Photo

Why it's on the list:

Because this is Robin Williams's greatest on-screen transformation. He is pretty much unrecognizable in this one, not to mention, very scary. Because Williams's excellent portrayal of unhealthy obsession by a photo technician could have quite possibly caused the demise of the "One Hour Photo" lab.

4) Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire in Mrs. Doubtfire

Why it's on the list:

Speaking of great on-screen transformations, Williams plays a struggling actor / divorced dad who transforms into a british nanny so he can see his children every day. What makes this performance so great is that you forget Mrs. Doubtfire isn't real since Williams turns her into an unforgettable movie character. At first the transition for "Daniel" is a little rough, particularly when he's cooking dinner for the first time, but once "Mrs. Doubtfire" kicks into high gear you almost forget that "Daniel" is even in there. This is where Williams's performance shines brightest, when, as "Mrs. Doubtfire", the look in his eyes keeps us aware that "Daniel" is still very much underneath. This is most evident when, as "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Daniel" has to listen to his ex-wife explain why she divorced him.

3) Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting

Why it's on the list:

Because, in my opinion, Dr. Sean Maguire is the most human character of Robin Williams's career. Because of every therapy session with Will Hunting(Matt Damon), starting with "I will end you", continuing with "I gotta see about a girl", and ending with "It's not your fault". Because this role earned Williams a well deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

2) Armand Goldman in The Birdcage

Why it's on the list:

Because Williams plays the "straight" gay man to perfection. Because Armand's love for his partner Albert(Nathan Lane) is unlike anything seen in the rest of Williams's performances. Because of Armand dance-directing. Because of Armand panicking in the kitchen, which could be my favorite scene of Robin Williams's career. The Birdcage is, without a doubt, my favorite Robin Williams movie, and this performance is a huge reason why.

1) The Genie in Aladdin

Why it's on the list:

Because no live-action role could possibly convey Robin Williams's energetic, laugh-a-second style of comedy better than the animated Genie. Because from the moment the Genie came out of the lamp and uttered his first line, "Oi! Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck.", Robin Williams changed the game for voice-over acting in animated movies forever. Because of Williams singing "Friend Like Me" in that first scene. Because I loved the Genie when I was 6 years old and I love him even more now.

20 Best Back to School Movies

Today my oldest son is starting his first full year of pre-school. He just turned 3 this summer but he is already a pre-school veteran since he officially started back in february. This means my son is going Back to School! If there's one thing Hollywood has taught us on the subject, it's that you can go Back to School at any age, be it 3, 23, or 53, which helps past and present "students" identify with these movies. There are classic Back to School movies from all grade levels, starting with elementary school all the way through graduate school. From all those, high school definitely makes the most popular movie subject.

There are too many classic high school movies to count, so for this post I made a distinction and chose only those movies that deal with the subject of going Back to School. For example, even though John Hughes is the king of the high school movie genre, and one of my favorite writer/directors of all time, none of his movies were chosen here since they focus on other topics(extremely well) instead of going Back to School. What I have included are movies with adults having to return to elementary school, either as teachers or students, adults going undercover in high school, teenagers starting their first year of high school, transfer students arriving at a new school, young adults entering college, and (not-so) young adults too.

Speaking of which, I'm presenting these 20 movies in reverse order of grade level(from oldest to youngest), starting with one of the movies that inspired this post, the perfectly titled ...

Back to School

Who goes Back to School?

Thornton Melon(played by the late great Rodney Dangerfield) is a millionaire businessman who decides to enroll in his son's college after he tells him he's thinking of dropping out. Hilarity ensues. I love Thornton's first economics class, where he teaches the professor what it takes to start a business in the real world, and of course, the famous Triple Lindy.

Conviction

Who goes Back to School?

Betty Anne Waters(played by 2 time Oscar winner Hilary Swank), a single mother of two who decides to put herself through law school so she can free her brother Kenny(Sam Rockwell) from prison since he was 'convicted'(Get it?) of a murder he didn't commit. The movie is based on a true story.

Old School

Who goes Back to School?

Mitch, aka The Godfather(Luke Wilson), who, along with his disillusioned 30 something pals Beanie(Vince Vaughn) and Frank "the Tank"(Will Ferrell), starts a fraternity at the off campus house he just moved into. Vaughn and Ferrell are the stars of this movie, which launched them both into a great run of hits in the mid 2000s.

Animal House

Who goes Back to School?

College freshmen Larry Kroger and Kent Dorfman, who end up pledging at the Delta House, which is put on "double secret probation" by the dean for their repeated conduct violations and low academic standing. The fraternity is full of colorful characters, none more so than John "Bluto" Blutarsky(played by the late great John Belushi), who absolutely steals the movie with iconic moments like his inspirational speech("Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?") and the food fight("I'm a zit. Get it?")

Accepted

Who goes Back to School?

Bartleby Gaines(Justin Long), who creates a fake college named the South Harmon Institute of Technology after he is rejected by every college he applied to. He receives some help from his friends, including best friend Schrader(Jonah Hill), and after welcoming some unexpected enrollees he must prove that there is actual learning taking place at South Harmon, even though it's in a different manner than conventional colleges.

Pitch Perfect

Who goes Back to School?

Beca(Anna Kendrick), a freshman at Barden University who is pressured by her dad to participate in some extra-curricular activities, so she joins the Bellas, the school's all-girls acapella singing group. The results are aca-awesome!

Peggy Sue got Married

Who goes Back to School?

Peggy Sue(Kathleen Turner), who faints at her 25 year high school reunion and wakes up as a teenager back in school. She realizes that she could change her future if she doesn't hook up with future ex-husband Charlie(Nicolas Cage). Bonus points for featuring one of Jim Carrey's early film roles.

Never Been Kissed

Who goes Back to School?

Josie Gellar(Drew Barrymore), a 25 year old journalist working at the Chicago Sun Times, who is assigned to go undercover to report about today's high schools. The problem is that Josie "Grossie" was a frustrated, ridiculed nerd back in her high school days and she quickly falls back into her old habits. She gets a popular make-over with help of her cool brother Rob(David Arquette), who also re-enrolls in high school, and then develops a romantic relationship with her sensitive English teacher.

21 Jump Street

Who goes Back to School?

Rookie cops Schmidt(Jonah Hill) and Jenko(Channing Tatum), who are sent undercover back to high school to find the source of a dangerous synthetic drug. Once there, they end up switching lifestyles from their previous high school experience. Schmidt, who was a nerd, gets in with the popular kids, and Jenko, who was a popular jock, makes friends with the science nerds("F*ck you science!").

Grease

Who goes Back to School?

Greaser Danny Zuko(John Travolta) and good-girl Sandy Olsson(Olivia Newton-John), who enjoy some good old Summer Lovin, but are unexpectedly reunited at Rydell High in the fall. The problem is that Danny is the leader of the T-Birds, and he can't be seen dating only one girl in school. With the help of some great songs in this classic musical, Danny and Sandy manage to Go Together by the end.

Fast Times at Ridgemont HIgh

Who goes Back to School?

A group of high school students at Ridgemont High in southern California. The movie is based on the real life adventures chronicled by first time screenwriter Cameron Crowe. The movie's true star is Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli, a stoned surfer dude who continually clashes with his professor, Mr. Hand, especially about eating pizza in history class("Learning about Cuba and having some food.")

Clueless

Who goes Back to School?

Tai(Brittany Murphy), a transfer student who is befriended by popular girls Cher(Alica Silverstone) and Dionne(Stacey Dash). Cher is actually the main character in this one, and she helps Tai get a make-over while dealing with her own cluelessness about high school and boys, one of those being her step brother Josh(Paul Rudd). I love Cher's 'Haitians' speech in debate class("It does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty."), an excellent point of view on a topic that is front and center in the news today.

Mean Girls

Who goes Back to School?

Cady Heron(a pre-crazy Lindsay Lohan), who grew up in Africa and was home-schooled all that time, but now her family has returned to America and she must experience what high school is like for the very first time. She has to quickly adapt to the rules of survival in high school and she gets help from two sweet outsiders, Janis and Damian. Soon after meeting them she meets "the Plastics", a group of pink wearing popular girls led by mean spirited Regina George(Rachel McAdams). Janis and Damian convince Cady to join "the Plastics", but only so they can make fun of them. Things don't go as planned when Cady is lured into "the Plastics" lifestyle and slowly begins to turn into one herself.

10 Things I Hate About You

Who goes Back to School?

Cameron(Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a new transfer student at Padua High. During a tour of the school he spots Bianca Stratford, a pretty sophomore who's father only allows her to date if her older sister does. The problem is that older sister Kat(Julia Stiles) is an angry, indie rock loving, non-conforming feminist who refuses to date any boy in school. Cameron and his friend Michael(David Krumholtz) enlist mysterious bad boy Patrick Verona(Heath Ledger, in the role that introduced him to American audiences) to take out Kat so Cameron can date Bianca. Of course, Kat falls for Patrick's charm(who wouldn't fall in love with Heath Ledger?), especially after he screws up and apologizes in the most romantic way possible: through song(A 'Star is Born' performance by Mr. Ledger that has taken on extra special meaning after his tragic death)

Bring it On

Who goes Back to School?

Missy Pantone(Eliza Dushku) and her brother Cliff, who are transfers entering the new school year at Rancho Carne High School. Missy is a gymnast, but since there is no gymnastics squad in the school, she auditions for the five-time champion cheerleading squad, the Toros, led by newly-elected team captain Torrance Shipman(Kirsten Dunst). Torrance is actually the main character of the movie, as she has to deal with the fact that the squad's previous routines were stolen from an inner-city squad, the Clovers. Besides creating a new routine for the squad, Torrance also falls for Missy's brother Cliff, but has to leave her unsupportive boyfriend first so she can be with him.

The Faculty

Who goes Back to School?

Marybeth Hutchinson, a new student at Herrington High, a small town school in Ohio. After she arrives, the teachers(including Robert Patrick and a scary Jon Stewart), and later the students, start to exhibit some strange behavior. A small group of six students, including Marybeth, are the only ones that are suspicious. They discover that there is an alien infection in the high school and they also figure out a way to kill them, which includes finding the queen before the aliens can spread out to other schools. The problem is that Marybeth is actually the alien queen.

Sky High

Who goes Back to School?

Will Stronghold, son of the world's greatest superheroes, The Commander(Kurt Russell) and Jetstream(Kelly Preston), who begins his first year at Sky High, a high school for superheroes and their sidekicks. The thing is that Will hasn't developed his powers yet and is too ashamed to tell his dad that he was placed in the sidekicks program. Will eventually gains his powers, both his dad's super strength and his mom's flying ability, and with a little help from his best friends/side kicks he fights against Royal Pain, a villain who is looking for revenge on Will's parents. Also starring Lynda Carter, aka Wonder Woman, as the school's principal.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Who goes Back to School?

Charlie Kelmeckis(Logan Lerman), a shy teenager with some past mental illness problems who is entering his first year of high school. He writes letters to an imaginary friend and gains the attention of his english teacher, Mr. Anderson(Paul Rudd), who gives him all of his favorite books to read. More importantly, he is befriended by two seniors, Patrick(Ezra Miller) and Sam(Emma Watson in her first post Harry Potter starring role), who take Charlie under their wing and introduce him to their group of misfit friends. Charlie immediately falls in love with Sam, but she has some past boy issues of her own that cause Charlie to date their friend Mary Elizabeth(Mae Whitman) instead. After that doesn't go well, Charlie's mental problems are triggered again and with the love and support of his family and friends he learns to overcome his pain. The movie is set in the early 90s and it was written and directed by the book's author, Stephen Chbosky, a rare achievement in Hollywood.

School of Rock

Who goes Back to School?

Dewey Finn(Jack Black) is a wannabe rocker who poses as a substitute teacher at Horace Green Elementary School and tries to turn his class into a rock band. This is Jack Black's movie, and he delivers a star-making performance. He does receive an assist from director Richard Linklater, school principal Rosalie Mullins(Joan Cusack), and, more importantly, from a very talented group of 10 year olds. Their Battle of the Bands performance at the end of the movie is a classic movie music moment.

Billy Madison

Who goes Back to School?

Billy Madison(Adam Sandler), an immature and lazy 20-something who must repeat grades 1-12 in order to inherit his fed up father's hotel empire. This was Sandler's first starring role after his time on SNL and he didn't disappoint. Sandler's comedic style is not for everyone, less so now with all the bad movies he keeps making, but in the mid 90s he was genuinely trying to make people laugh and he succeeds here. The movie focuses on Billy's time in 3rd grade, where he falls for his teacher Veronica Vaughn(Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) and makes friends with the kids in the class. Of all the characters on this list, Billy Madison is the one that goes the furthest Back to School, and I drew inspiration for this list from him and his now classic Back to School song. Good luck to everyone out there who is going Back to School this month! As Billy Madison would say, "Well, here goes nothin'".