Robin Williams sadly passed away on August 11th 2014, leaving behind a body of work that was, quite frankly, nothing short of incredible. From broad comedies like 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and 'Aladdin', to emotional dramas such as 'Awakenings' and 'Dead Poets Society', Williams' range was unparalleled and his enthusiasm just leapt out of the screen with every role. Here's our pick of his five best scenes. 5. 'Mrs. Doubtfire' - "My first day as a woman and I'm getting hot flashes."
Today would have been Robin Williams' birthday.
Robin Williams sadly passed away on August 11th 2014, leaving behind a body of work that was, quite frankly, nothing short of incredible.
From broad comedies like 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and 'Aladdin', to emotional dramas such as 'Awakenings' and 'Dead Poets Society', Williams' range was unparalleled and his enthusiasm just leapt out of the screen with every role.
Here's our pick of his five best scenes.
5. 'Mrs. Doubtfire' - "My first day as a woman and I'm getting hot flashes."
Nobody could do physical comedy in this generation quite as good or as earnestly as Robin Williams did. In all of his comedy roles, Williams' charm and zaniness bubbled right to the surface because it was as much a part of his personality as it was his performance. One of Williams' many family-friendly hits was 'Mrs. Doubtfire', where he played a voice artist desperate to reconnect with his kids in whatever way he can. While it may be somewhat corny in parts, there's no denying that Williams was on fire - literally - in this scene.
4. 'Dead Poets Society' - "Seize the day, boys."
Throughout the early '90s, Williams starred in several dramas - 'Awakenings', 'Cadillac Man', 'The Fisher King', and of course 'Dead Poets Society'. Although each were markedly different, Williams still applied that same enthusiasm and charm to them all. In 'Awakenings', he was painfully shy but still desperate to connect with people. In 'Dead Poets Society', that same desperation was there, but it came with an articulateness and clarity that made his character so appealing. You could really believe being that inspired and taken by a teacher, none more so than the infamous Carpe Diem scene at the start of the film. Williams just commands the scene, and we're all left watching in awe.
3. 'Aladdin' - "Almost, there's a couple of provisios, a couple quid-pro-quos..."
In the space of just two minutes, Robin Williams zips between impressions of William F. Buckley, Jr., Peter Lorre and Ed Sullivan - all in a kids' movie. An animated kids' movie, no less. That was just how frenetic and out-of-control Williams was; he could inject something as straightforward as a children's cartoon with his free-wheeling, improvisational style into that world and lose absolutely none of it to the medium. His physical style even radiates through his voice, and this scene is the perfect example of that.
2. 'The Birdcage' - "F*ck the shrimp!"
For our money, 'The Birdcage' is easily Robin Williams' funniest film - primarily because it's Williams trying his hardest not to be funny, which actually makes it even more funny. This scene, however, is particularly funny - simply because almost none of it was scripted. If you watch it back, Williams' slip on the floor wasn't planned and you can see him almost break character as he tries to get to the end of the scene without laughing.
1. 'Good Will Hunting' - "She's been dead two years and that's the shit I remember."
Although most people might point to the park scene - where Robin Williams' character lays out Matt Damon's cynicism with a speech about knowledge versus experience - is the better one, for us it has to be this. What makes it so great isn't the fact that's it equally heart-wrenching and hilarious, it's the fact that Williams came up with the farting story on the spot and without any script in front of him. Again, if you go back and watch the scene, you can actually see the camera shake slightly when it's on Matt Damon - because the cameraman was apparently laughing that hard, it shook the lens.