This is not so much a comedy as a traumatic set of events in New York among people who are living on the fringe of the middle class, a radio talk show anchorman and a videotape-shop woman. Some traumatic event brings the anchorman to a strange phase in his life. One of the people he got on his last radio show got an answer that was a little bit rough and he committed suicide. The anchorman gets depressed and runs into some totally off-limits neighborhood and he gets in touch with some street people, homeless people. And that's how he meets Parry, a deranged history professor who has been, since the day his wife was shot dead by a mass killer who entered the restaurant where they were having some dinner, haunted by historical fantasies about some Red Knight who is after him to kill himWe are dealing here with insanity as a way to live in some fantasy world and at the same time to be able to cope with the dramatic dimension of this fantasy world by escaping the traumatic real world. He is systematically chased and hunted by that red knight made of fire and then he can only run away, and away, and eventually back to his safe zone, his refuge in an underground boiler room in an off-limits zone. The film is cruel about the way these people are treated. As long as they are not dangerous to other people or to themselves they are abandoned in the streets. When they turn dangerous they are dealt with, by the police if they endanger someone else, or some psychiatric institution if they only endanger themselves or if they turn catatonic. Don't expect any humanity in such institutions. The people there are just kept alive as long as they can be kept alive, and at some point along the road, they might be nicely accompanied into the other side of the living border. Jack, the anchorman, suddenly feels some kind of call and behaves as if he had a mission concerning this Parry. So, with the help of his girlfriend, he gets him out of his underworld and little by little makes him wash, eat, drink, dress properly and Jack discovers that Parry has been observing the city and has noticed a woman who works in some bank or financial institution of some sort. She is a solitary woman, in fact, a woman who is extremely afraid of other people. So Parry's attraction is the fact he feels on her side the same solitude as on his side. Jack and his girlfriend will be the intercessors and they will, the four of them end up in a Chinese restaurant. Quite a strange adventure. Parry then takes The young woman, Sandra back to her place but he does not go upstairs as she suggests, not this time, maybe next time, though he is hard and as big as Florida. Alone then on the street, the Red Knight arrives and starts chasing him and of course, he runs away to his security zone, his off-limits area but he is dressed for going out, for a date in a restaurant and he is thus attacked by local hooligans who do not like the rich. He ends up catatonic in some institution for sick and helpless homeless people. That's when the film takes a turn for the more surprising and I won't reveal it. Jack plays the insane game of Parry to try and get him back. That's when this social tragedy turns into a comedy in no way social at all. The end is just plainly funny-strange and of course absolutely unrealistic in any way. Entertaining in its last fourth after three fourths that were quite educational.Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU

This movie keeps balancing between « 4 » and « 7 » : i liked the underbelly of NYC that was common in 80s, 90s and that has nearly disappeared today ; i liked the interest into those bums, losers while now only the winners can talk ; I liked the demented vision, the fantasy world because Gilliam really transcends the material and knows how to organize things ! Robin is fantastic, so free, showing so much different feeling, it's incredible ! I like the punch of the videostore owner ! I like the hidden fun (his movies posters, Hitler salute, …) On the other hand, i can't stand the Bridges family (as well the Sheens, Baldwins) and the first half of the movie is totally useless and boring ! I don't like the Lydia character as she is not that easy and kind ! I don't like how the movie lost its way, has a lot of scenes totally expandable and how a heroic fantasy magic tale suddenly becomes a romance comedy ??? I don't like the way Robin has nothing to do in the last half hour. The train station scene is a total flop and the score is particularly weak ! At the end, i give « 7 » because if i cut all the bad scenes, the remaining is pretty cool so it's not a total stinker !

The "lead" role, tailor-made for Robin Williams. Seriously, nobody else could've played this role like him. A complex mixture of a broken man borderline insane and the remains of a past cultured, well educated life. And Jeff Bridges' NY/Italian woman in the film, superb performance, that earned her rightfully a supporting actress' award. A lengthy film, but that justifies its weight with excellent story telling, attention to detail, and a very strong appreciation for the psychological element, very subtly carried out throughout the film. Very eventful, and although it's been criticized for it, it does answer all of the questions it poses. This isn't an overcrowded, over-complicated story; this is a complex modern tale with lots of sensitivity, real life issues, and a beautiful core at the center of it all. Excellent film.

It had been a couple of years since I last watched this film and I must say I have found more appreciation for it since. Redemption is a strong theme of this film as it tells the story of a shock jock, who becomes suicidal after a listener he offended going on a murderous rampage and in order to redeem himself, helps a homeless man who was affected by the tragedy. Jeff Bridges is one of the stars in this underrated dramedy, playing shock jock Jack Lucas who comes across as arrogant and obnoxious but starts to show a softer side as the film progresses. The other star of the film is the incomparable Robin Williams who plays Parry, a mentally disturbed homeless man who has hallucinations about knights and believes himself to be on the quest for the "Holy Grail". The acting in this movie is top notch as the cast give close to career best performances, Jeff Bridges proves he is truly an underrated actor from his generation and Robin Williams perfectly blends his dramatic and comedic sides here to give one of his best all-round performances. Most people see Williams in more strictly funny roles like Mrs Doubtfire, Patch Adams and the like but he is one heck of a good actor, one of the best comedic actors of all time. Amanda Plummer sort of plays against type in this movie as Lydia by not playing her usual crazy woman roles (ie. Pulp Fiction) but in a way, it is Mercedes Ruehl who steals the show as Anne Napolitano, the girlfriend of Jack who is not just eye candy but is almost like a voice of reason to him. Speaking of Ruehl, she fascinated me as I always used to wonder why she won an Oscar for this role but not every Oscar winning role needs a member of the audience to feel sad or cry, she does the opposite by making me laugh and bringing deeper meaning to her character which is hard to do in a comedy. And of course, credit must go to Terry Gilliam who strikes gold with this modernistic take on an Arthurian tale and is personally the mastermind of weird movies such as this. But whoever said weird was bad? If you think so, I suggest you take time to appreciate "weirdness" such as this.