Actor/director Terry Gilliam has established a career of rather obscure and comedic fare. Of course, being a member of the infamous Monty Python troupe automatically gives you that distinction. By 1991, he was hoping to do something that would allow him to get away from big budget special effects movies. He wanted to tell a smaller, more personal story. Thus, "The Fisher King" was born.
The film tells the tale of Jack Lucas, am incredibly arrogant and self-righteous talk radio host who suddenly finds his whole world rocked after learning that his comments caused one of his listeners, a very depressed person, to commit mass murder at a bar in Manhattan. Three years go by, and Jack finds himself out of work, intoxicated and suicidal. When attempting to end it all, he is mistaken for a homeless man and accosted, nearly being set on fire. Enter Parry, a real homeless person who's self delusions cause him to believe he is on a search for the Holy Grail. Parry saves Jack, then tries to get Jack to help him on his quest. After first Jack says no, but he soon finds out that Parry's condition is due to him being present during the horrific tragedy three years earlier and watching his wife die, and Jack feels responsible, so he agrees.
The film tells the tale of Jack Lucas, am incredibly arrogant and self-righteous talk radio host who suddenly finds his whole world rocked after learning that his comments caused one of his listeners, a very depressed person, to commit mass murder at a bar in Manhattan. Three years go by, and Jack finds himself out of work, intoxicated and suicidal. When attempting to end it all, he is mistaken for a homeless man and accosted, nearly being set on fire. Enter Parry, a real homeless person who's self delusions cause him to believe he is on a search for the Holy Grail. Parry saves Jack, then tries to get Jack to help him on his quest. After first Jack says no, but he soon finds out that Parry's condition is due to him being present during the horrific tragedy three years earlier and watching his wife die, and Jack feels responsible, so he agrees.
Another part of Parry's delusional state is that whenever he feels confident, he sees the figure of a Red Knight on horseback, who chases him down. Jack is told that after Parry witnessed his wife's murder, he fell into a catatonic state, and when he awoke, he became fascinated by the story of the Fisher King, a story of a king who sends his best men out to find the Holy Grail, yet the one who brings it to him is a simple-minded Fool who knew the King was thirsty, so he just grabbed a cup and brought him some water. Parry believes he knows the location of the Grail, but cannot find a way inside to retrieve it. Jack, on the other hand, thinks the way to help Parry is to make him feel the love of a woman again. Parry takes Jack to see Lydia, a shy accountant who has never met Parry before. Yet the first time he laid eyes on her he became immediately smitten. After some work getting the two to finally meet, Jack and his girlfriend Anne take Parry and Lydia out for a double date.
The date goes well, and while walking her home, Parry declares his love for Lydia. However, his confidence once again brings out the vision of the Red Knight, who chases Parry through the park, right into the group of guys who earlier had attacked Jack. They viciously beat Parry, and because of this, Parry is once again placed into a catatonic state. Jack thinks the only way to bring Parry out of it is to go to the very spot where Parry thinks the Grail is being kept and retrieve it himself, which involved breaking in to an Upper East Side castle and stealing a trophy. This does the trick, and Parry comes out of the catatonic state, reuniting with Lydia and getting the patients in the psych ward to sing along with him a rendition of "How About You?". Jack has realized that not only did he help Parry find his way back to being himself, but he has made peace with himself and is ready to live his life once again.
The performance that Robin Williams gives in the role of Parry is incredibly fantastic. Williams has always been known as the guy who you wish sometimes had an off switch. But, as he's proved since this film was initially released, he can turn on the dramatic acting when he needs to. It's quite a sight witnessing him joining other homeless men and singing songs with each other. His performance in the role garnered him a Golden Globe in 1992, and it was the right call.
Jeff Bridges did a wonderful job in the role of Jack Lucas. He brought the right amount of douchebag at the start with the talk radio host gig, but once he brought the aspect of being a drunken, suicidal guy on the brink of sanity, he really shined. Actually, it was this performance that I always say showcased some of the mannerisms that we would see a little bit later in his career when he took on the role of Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski in the Coen Brothers 1998 classic "The Big Lebowski". Trust me, when you watch this movie, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Is this an obscure film? Yes. I mean, it features Robin Williams running through a park at night naked. A sight you aren't expecting. But It has a lot of heart. And with the performances from both Williams and Bridges, as well as everyone else who has a role, I very much so suggest people should view this film.