The Fisher King

I will not write about how bad The Fisher King is. That wouldn't be true, and my 2 stars rather mean that I completely missed the point of this film emotionally. Yes, for many users, it is Gilliam's best and most comprehensible film. People wrote and said about The Brothers Grimm being only half of Gilliam, yet I reliably recognized all the characteristics typical of his work. I don't find them here at all, and to be honest, it wouldn't even occur to me that Gilliam made this. It is a typical tearjerker and a story about outsiders who can recover, stand up, and go in search of happiness. Recently, I watched Rain Man again and I must say that even after all these years, it reliably had an impact on me with its dose of sentimentality, but that didn't work in this film. There is so much overacting here, not so much because of the actors, who belong to the peak of Hollywood, but rather because of the demands of the screenplay and the director. They are thus not genuine enough for me, and if, for example, in Amanda Plummer's profile, it is written that it is impossible to find a viewer who wouldn't be moved by her character in this film, I shrug and say "I am that exception." Either you shoot a film with obvious fantastic exaggeration like Stranger Than Fiction (which, however, was much more genuine in terms of the acting) or you shoot a film from the real world, and similar twists, where characters such as the crazy Parry simply don't belong. The film misses the real life of the homeless and their actual problems by light-years. Yes, it is well filmed and acted, but it didn't tell me anything at all, and I won't revisit this film. Overall impression: 45%. (29/01/2012)

A beautifully human, sweet, warm, fantastical and dramatic, moving and above all, for me, unforgettable story. I filled in two huge gaps with The Fisher King. I got to see the superb acting of Williams and Bridges and the work of Terry Gilliam, which had eluded me to this day. It is difficult to comment in more words. Amazing. (03/12/2010)

The inventive direction, a good script, and the Gilliam’s typical visuals clearly stand out. The camera is strikingly colorful, the sets are diverse, and there are plenty of visual and content tricks. However, the overall content didn't impress me as much. It was overly chaotic and too “out there” for my taste, making it difficult for me to enjoy or have the desire to rewatch the film. (28/05/2005)

A hidden pearl overflowing with Gilliam’s playfulness and care. A nice story about friendship, love and hope, spiced with paranoia and human suffering. Williams is precisely cast and Jeff Bridges performs the role of a laid-back, cool guy who fell into a pile of manure, lost the reason to live and is trying to pull himself together. The line between the fairytale, fantasy world and reality is extremely thin again. Gilliam on best form. (22/05/2012)

Forgive me Terry for having ignored this gem of yours for so long. All the actors deserve praise, both in the main and the secondary roles, and the direction is Gilliam’s typical fantasy stylisation (it’s not as insane as Brazil, but there are a couple of scenes going in that direction). That said, I have one serious problem with Fisher King: in the last half hour I think the film loses some of its quality; it should have ended with the phone call, when Jack finds out what happened after that unforgettable dinner. That would have completely changed the tone, yes, but I would have been a lot more satisfied. I respect that the creators preferred the conclusion they resorted to, but the unpleasant aftertaste of disappointment is still there. (01/09/2009)