There was a time ("the 80s") when Robin Williams was actually funny. Not just on TV show and movies, but on talk shows as well. He'd come on, and you just knew it was going to be a wild and fun time.
Boy, are those times past.
Williams has been making the talk show rounds the past week or so, plugging Man of the Year (does that movie look awful, or what?). And every single time he's on, he embarasses himself. Or maybe he doesn't, judging from the howls coming from the audience. He just doesn't shut up, and does the same voices over and over and over again, interrupting other guests.
He was on Letterman the other night and I had to change the channel. He was on Regis & Kelly the next morning, but I don't usually watch that show so there was no danger of seeing him. He was on Bill Maher's show last Friday, and he just steamrolled over everybody, thinking he was so funny. Maher laughed, but later in the show you sensed that he just wanted him to shut the hell up.
He's on Hardball tonight. I won't be watching. He's on Kimmel too, but I'll change the channel after the monologue. It's not that I don't like unpredictable, going-off-on-a-tangent celebs. I think Jim Carrey, Amy Sedaris, and Andy Dick are really funny on talk shows. Williams...gah.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-12-2006 @ 3:12PM
Joel Keller said...
I think he's gotten such a reputation as a "master improviser" that he feels compelled to riff on every damn show, whether what he's saying a) makes sense and b) is actually germane to the interview. People just laugh automatically, because after almost 30 years (yes, he's been around that long, folks... Mork & Mindy started in 1978) they just assume anything he says is funny, whether it actually is or not.
I can't stand seeing him on talk shows either. And he hasn't made a good comedy movie in years. In fact, I'd rather see him in dramatic roles than comedic roles these days; he was great in "One Hour Photo", "Insomnia", and (of course) "Good Will Hunting".
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10-12-2006 @ 5:04PM
Karen said...
"I think he's gotten such a reputation as a "master improviser" that he feels compelled to riff on every damn show"
See, I think he's just a manic attention whore who can't handle being out of the limelight.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:11PM
Corsair said...
He did a pretty good off-the-cuff improv on Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton. But I do agree he can get tiresome very quickly. The one thing he does that I can't stand is his "Inner-City-Black-Guy-Jive-Talking" bit. It's borderline racist, just in his delivery alone. It's more like a caricature of what people think "the black guy" sounds like with his "homies."
Tired.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:13PM
Dorsey said...
I still find him rather humerous. I felt he did say some good things on Real Time, and he did a great job on the Daily Show about a half a year back. His shtick can get a little old when he is in a talk show setting, but he is a hell of a lot better then Andy Dick or Jim Carrey.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:20PM
mike said...
the improvising shtick was funny 20 years ago. It has not aged well.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:17PM
Mike Whalen said...
Yeah, I wish I knew what the difference was. I used to LOVE Robin Williams but I simply don't find him funny at all anymore. I don't know if I've changed, his act has changed, or it's all just too old now.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:35PM
David said...
I think his new movie looks much better than most of the other crap.
And my problem with Robin Williams is that he doesn't do new stuff. Watch him on several shows and it's basicly the same thing. I have his special from a few years back and he is still using a lot of that material to make fun of Bush.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:26PM
Monty said...
There was a great bit on The Showbiz Show with David Spade, where they pieced together his appearances on these shows while he was out promoting RV. It was hilarious cuz he did the same jokes, impressions and plugging and they made one promo out of it.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:35PM
David said...
And One Hour Photo was a HORRID movie, saying it was great shows a lot about your opinion. The last 20 minutes is all you need to watch.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:33PM
Michelle said...
I guess I do agree about it getting a little old, but I have to say, I think he has earned his chance to ramble. He is a comedy great. His stand-up on Broadway a few years back had by rolling it was so funny. But, I CANNOT agree about Andy Dick however. I used to think he was a little funny, but he drives me crazy. Talk about things getting old. Every time I see him on something now all I can think is, jeez, shut up already. Talk about an attention whore.
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10-12-2006 @ 5:43PM
scott said...
When Bill announced him as a panelist on last weeks Real Time, I groaned.
My wife asked why... I said you'll see.
She did.
it's one thing in a one on one setting, but during a panel show, fuggetaboudit. He did so much coke back in the day it's STILL not all out of his system. I think he's funny at times, but not when he's steamrolling over a show's format.
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10-12-2006 @ 6:02PM
DWACON said...
def1929a
I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher waiting for the long-handled hook to come over and pull him off the stage.
Bill seemed to let him have impunity -- prolly because of his elder statesman status. Still, a back-hand across the chops would have been justifiable.
--
dwacon
http://dwacon.blogspot.com
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10-12-2006 @ 5:51PM
Adam said...
I've condensed a basic Robin Williams improv into this formula:
Somewhere there's a [blank] going ["blank"].
You insert a person or character into the first blank, and some wacky phrase or pop culture sound bite into the second blank: "Somewhere there's a midget going 'I wish I could quit you!'"
Then repeat for three decades.
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10-12-2006 @ 6:04PM
SJ said...
Man he was horrible on Real Time. He made some good points when he was serious, and was occasionally funny, but damn was he annoying. He didn't let anybody speak, and Bill Maher was visibly annoyed by the end.
Jim Carrey is awesome when he comes on Conan.
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10-12-2006 @ 6:19PM
erroneous_nick said...
David,
I believe Joel said Robin Williams was great in "One Hour Photo". He did not address his feelings towards the merits of the movie itself, only Mr. Williams' acting in it.
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10-12-2006 @ 6:44PM
Pamela said...
On Real Time with Bill Maher, Robin Williams was so desperate for attention, it was pathetic. He interrupted Bill Maher and the other two guest panelists continuously with idiotic comments just to get attention. He was fortunate that the others were gracious to him, I would have told him to shut the F---up. Half of the time I had no idea who he was trying to "be" with his goofy voices and dialogue. I watch that show first of all for the political banter, second for Bill Maher's great wit. Robin Williams' comedy is so twenty years ago. HEY, you're not Mork anymore! He just got out of alcohol rehab, but it's time to check in at the "attention obsession" addiction center.
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10-12-2006 @ 6:45PM
rich said...
Andy Dick funny?????? you must be kidding, right???
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10-12-2006 @ 8:02PM
MacGuffin said...
Robin Williams is completely out of control. He absolutely ruined Real Time with Bill Maher last week with his sophomoric rants and off-the-wall jibba jabba.
In fact, the show went 7 minutes long (the first time ever on RTBM) because Maher couldn't/didn't control him. Even the audience--I was in it--was scratching their heads.
The thing is he is really intelligent and articulate and has some excellent points when he is lucid.
Jonathan Winters was funny ranting, but Robin Williams is not even close.
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10-13-2006 @ 12:49AM
LC said...
I think Williams is a fantastic actor, but I never found his standup or his interviews funny in the least. I will watch a movie he is in, but will avoid anything live like the plague.
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10-13-2006 @ 9:58AM
jttv said...
He should have been sent back to Ork
for doing RV.
Nano Nano
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