You know what's a good movie? (Part 7)

Part 1: Forrest Gump

Connection: Tom Hanks

Part 2: Toy Story

Connection: Pixar

Part 3: The Incredibles

Connection: Superhero Films

Part 4: Batman (1989)

Connection: Jack Nicholson

Part 5: The Departed

Connection: Matt Damon

Part 6: Good Will Hunting

Connection: Robin Williams

Part 7: Mrs. Doubtfire


I still pop this classic in the DVD player at least once a year, and it's still hilarious!  Director Chris Columbus gave us a film for all ages (as he often does).  That film... Mrs. Doubtfire!  Robin Williams stars as a lovable dad who can't hold down a job.  He's married to Sally Field, a very serious career woman who has little time for her kids.  The kids are played by Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence and Mara Wilson. 

When the parents file for divorce, it becomes harder and harder for Williams to see his kids.  So he comes up with a plan to dress as the kid new nanny, Mrs. Doubtfire.  When Sally Field's character starts dating Pierce Brosnan, hilarity ensues.

The movie is all about heart.  Yes, on the surface, it's a man dressing up like a woman, and being put into all sorts of uncomfortable situations.  But beneath the surface, is a story of a family who has an enormous amount of love for his children.  He loves them so much, he's so desperate to see them everyday, he's dressing up as a woman to do so.  That's what the best films are all about, heart. 

The movie mostly follows Williams, Field, and their children.  Each character has an arc, some growth over the course of the movie.  I think that's important too.  Williams becomes a responsible parent, Field loosens up and enjoys her life, their son gets better grades in school, etc.
Plus there are some great supporting characters, like Williams gay brother, who is played by Harvey Fierstein.  These characters fill out the movie with just great all around performances.

Chris Columbus is one of my favorite directors in Hollywood.  He's done consistently good work.  His choice of cast, setting (San Francisco), score, montage, etc.; everything played into a real life scenario, which had us thinking, 'this is possible'.  Best of all, he knows how to capture people, real people.  This is just a dad wanting to be with his kids, it's so simple, but can open up a world of possibilities with a director like Columbus.

Then there is the star of the show, one of the best situation comedy actors of our time... Robin Williams!  Give the man a spoon and he'll make a funny situation out of it.  In the picture to the right, he made the lids to two pans funny, he's that good. Examples of Williams' genius: The way he's jealous of Brosnan's character and the relationship he's developed with Field, the way he picks up on women while he's in the suit, the way a man picks up on him while he's in the suit; all brilliant acting.

He nailed the accent to Euphegenia Doubtfire, his walk in the fat suit was funny, his reaction to women was funny, everything about Williams' performance was funny.  I loved him in this and can safely say, NO ONE else in Hollywood could have done what he did in this film.

Mrs. Doubtfire went on to gross 441 million dollars worldwide during its theatrical run.  That is an incredible amount of money.  There were a ton of movies before Mrs. Doubtfire that had a man or woman acting in a fat suit.  There are a LOT of movies that came out after Mrs. Doubtfire that tried it as well (i.e. Shallow Hal, and the terrible Big Momma's House).  But no one got it quite right like Columbus and company.  It's a movie with a great message, a ton of laughs, and has endured the test of time.  I absolutely love this film.

You know what's a good movie? (Part 6)

Part 1: Forrest Gump

Connection: Tom Hanks

Part 2: Toy Story

Connection: Pixar

Part 3: The Incredibles

Connection: Superhero Films

Part 4: Batman (1989)

Connection: Jack Nicholson

Part 5: The Departed

Connection: Matt Damon

Part 6: Good Will Hunting

When talking about Hollywood pairs, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are as obvious a pair as it gets.  The two childhood friends wrote a script, waiting year after year for the right moment, and that moment came in 1997.  Capped with an Academy Award for "Best ORIGINAL Screenplay".  The two men were 27 years old, and thrust into the Hollywood spotlight.

Good Will Hunting focuses on Matt Damon's character, Will.  Will is an underachiever, working as a janitor at a college.  At the college, Professor Lambeau wants to challenge his students.  He writes down partially completed math problems on a chalk board outside the classroom, in hopes one of his students will be able to solve them.  The professor is played by Stellan Skarsgard, terrifically played by Skarsgard!  We quickly find out, Will is a mathematical genius solving the problems on the board during his night shift at the college.  After a series of events, Will must work with Professor Lambeau AND see a therapist to stay out of jail.

Will does whatever it takes to avoid talking about his problems.  So one therapist after the other gives up on him, and refuses to take him as their patient.  Until Professor Lambeau calls upon Robin William's character, Sean, the two were college roommates.  This is where the meat of the story begins.

Williams plays a widower that is content with the way his life has played out.  He's a soft spoken man, very contrary to the Professor.  He sees Will as a tormented soul, not just a math prodigy.  It takes a long time for Sean to get Will to talk, but when they finally begin to do so, they see they're a lot more alike than either had expected.  Through their sessions, we discover that Will was abused as a child, physically and emotionally.  His only escape was being with his friends.

His friends consist of Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck and Cole Hauser.  We see the lifelong friendship the foursome have created.  The comedy in the movie comes while the four are just simply sitting around telling stories.  There is a line during these scenes that is pure comedy "How you like them Apples?" is truly epic! The scenes between the friends seem so organic, and how couldn't they be?  We know three of the four grew up together.  That organic feel was absolutely necessary in developing the characters.

Will's love interest is played by Minnie Driver, who does a magnificent job, and was rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actress", she plays Skylar.  The relationship between Will and Skylar grows throughout the movie, but Will is still stand offish.  He wont let her in.  Skylar is a hard working student with aspirations that Will just can't relate to.  In a critical scene in the movie, Skylar asks Will to follow her to Stanford for her next school.  The thought of another person abandoning him is too much for Will to handle, and he explodes in a fit or rage.  The scene is very well done and crucial to understanding why Will is as tormented as he is.

As the movie proceeds, Will and Sean's therapy sessions dive deeper and deeper into Will's psyche.  What this young man, Will, has been through, must have been unbelievably difficult.  Approaching the end of the movie, Will inches towards a breakthrough in therapy.  When the breakthrough occurs, it's amazing.  I personally think this specific scene is what garnered Robin Williams an Academy Award win for "Best Supporting Actor" and a nomination for Matt Damon for "Best Actor". 

The movie was directed by Gus Van Sant who had a very difficult task.  There were so many layers to every character; all of which needed ample screen time to develop.  We've seen many movies, this year alone, that had too many characters for their own good (i.e. Valentine's Day, Iron Man 2).  But Van Sant is like the conductor of a symphony, and what a symphony it is.  The way he peels away layer after layer off all the major characters is beautiful.  The tone, pacing, editing and music to the movie are perfect.  Speaking of which, the movie was nominated for "Best Film Editing", "Best Music, Original Dramatic Score", "Best Music, Original Song", "Best Director" for Van Sant and last, but not least, "Best Picture" of the year.

What I love more than the art that was created, was the way the art was created.  The movie is brilliant in my eyes.  But the way Matt Damon and Ben Affleck followed their dreams and became Oscar winning writers and two of Hollywood's A-List actors, is a movie waiting to happen.  They wrote the script, and were patient for the timing to be right; I'd say their timing was as good as it was going to get.  Nine Oscar nominations and two wins is impressive by anyone's standards.  Hopefully the duo reunite to bring us more original stories like the one in Good Will Hunting.

Quickie Classic: Hook

If you don't know the story of Peter Pan, you must be living on another planet. The story of a boy who never grew up, magic fairy dust, Neverland, the lost boys, and scariest of all... Captain Hook! Disney's Peter Pan was in instant classic when it came out in 1953. It brought the story to life in a way the Broadway play never could. Well, what happens next? What happens later on in Peter's life? What if?... What if, Peter grew up?! And THAT'S what Hook showed us. In 1991, it also became an instant classic as well.

Peter goes by the name Peter Banning at this point, and is played by Robin Williams. He's all grown up with two children, Jack and Maggie. He is so busy working all the time, he neglects his family; and causes them to resent him. Wendy is a little old lady now, and is going to be honored for her charitable work. So Peter and family visit her in London. To make a long story short, the children are kidnapped by Captain Hook, and Peter is forced to return to Neverland to rescue them.

The movie was great because it showed us so much of Neverland we didn't see in the Disney original. Williams plays a fantastic lead where he must be childlike on the inside, yet a mature adult on the outside. Dustin Hoffman plays Captain Hook, and is very charismatic in doing so. But to me, the best scenes, are those with the Lost boys. The way Williams bonds with them, the way they talk to each other, I couldn't help but remember my childhood in Northern California, when things were so much simpler. The same goes for the Lost boys, they have really simple lives, they just stay children forever.

And who can forget RUFIO! RUFIO! RUFIO!? Dante Basco played the fearless leader of the Lost boys so well, I can't look at him as any other character. I recently saw an interview with him (on the Take The Lead DVD) where he talks about how much fun the movie was, and how life changing its been. Watching the Lost Boys say goodbye to Peter towards the end made me cry as a kid, and got me pretty choked up as an adult.

Julia Roberts plays Tinkerbell and does very well selling the role. Bob Hoskins plays Smee, Hook's right hand man, and is very funny. Steven Spielberg directed the film and it's not a surprise it looks so amazing. He has an eye for things that other directs don't.... he can read children. E.T. was a brilliant film told through the eyes of a child, and I felt like Hook was the same way.

The movie has a special place in my heart, and in the hearts of a lot of people I know. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend just purchasing it. If you have children, you can teach them important lessons along with watching it. The cinematography, directing, acting, etc. are all amazing. Like the title of this post says... Classic!