Rating: 
Summary: Good film on consequences of extreme trauma and ego growth
Review: This is one of my favorite films. For the most part it is solid but does take some thought and knowledge about how people deal with trauma. Although it falters at times and has a few artistic distractions it does teach several good lessons. To understand the meaning of the title one must know the story of the Fisher King. There are many variations of the legend and one very simplistic version is sort of given in the film and will not be repeated here. The Legend of the Fisher King deals with a man who was injured as a young man (again many variations of how) and suffered from these wounds throughout his life. His only respite was to be taken fishing. He eventually became the penultimate master of the Grail Castle. Every evening the Grail, Platen and spear would be brought out and those suffering would be healed. That is, all except for the Fisher King. The Fisher King could not be healed until someone asked him a specific question. The Fisher King did not need to know the answer to the question. As the years passed, nobody ever asked the question until one day, on his second visit to the Grail Castle, Percival, asked the question, "Whom does the Grail serve?" The Fisher king realized that the Grail did not serve to make him great but that it served those in need. He was humbled and his wounds healed. (He died several days later and Percival became the last master of the Grail Castle.) The film deals with this dilemma in Jack. Jack can not be healed until he understands "whom the Grail serves." Jack tries to help Parry so that Jack will be healed so Jack can get on with Jack's life. It is only at the end of the film that Jack does the first unselfish thing that he has ever done in his life. Jack is the only character that grows emotionally. Of course, this act has nothing to do with Parry's condition improving. Parry is not crazy and Parry is not demented. Parry was a high functioning person until he witnesses his wife's head taking a shotgun blast. Parry regresses into a fugue state and takes on an alternate identity. He takes on a character that will, in metaphor, deal with what he witnessed. What Parry lost was intimacy and in his psychological struggle to cope with that loss he is both chased by and chases the last image of intimacy he recalls. Any emotional closeness, even with Jack, triggers these flashbacks although the image is distorted through the metaphor of his fugue state and becomes the red knight/ (representing his wife's violent death.) Parry does not become psychotic until Jack replaces Parry's fantasized intimacy with real intimacy and gets him "the date". The distortion is shattered; the metaphor no longer replaces the reality of Parry's last memory of his wife because the intimacy is psychologically too close to what Parry had lost. His Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) flashback is no longer the Red knight but the reliving of the actual trauma. Parry's psyche is forced to regress further and he become catatonic. This is the mind's way of calling a time-out. With time he eventually returns to his previous fugue state and that is where the film leaves him. Although not for everyone and not always consistent, it is an excellent film if you are willing to pay attention and not get distracted by Hollywood smarm.
Rating:
Summary: I love this guy
Review: The Fisher King is hands-down the best melodrama of the nineties. Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, and Amanda Plummer are all great. It's a little bit too long, but if you can sit through it all PATIENTLY than you'll be ok. Look for Tom Waits as the legless 'Nam vet. And for the first time, Terry Gilliam proves that he didn't have to write it for it to be a great flick.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst film i have ever seen
Review: I went to see this film when it was released in England and it was the most boring 2 hours of my life. I would recommend that you don't watch this film. Sorry for being so negitive but i don't want other people to suffer like I did.
Rating: 
Summary: Touched my soul
Review: While I'll agree that this movie might not be for everyone, I loved the story and bought the cassette and paperback years ago. I might just have to buy the movie now. Robin Williams has long been one of my favorite actors since he starred on Mork and Mindy. This is one of his best dramatic performances. You can feel Parry's pain and understand why he went mad. On a happier note, I liked the part where Parry and Jack were naked in Central Park. That should have sparked your curiosity enough to check out this movie. Not for everyone, but if you are a lover of fantasy, and a fan of Robin, check it out!
Rating: 
Summary: .
Review: You know ... I *like* Terry Gilliam. And I expected a lot from this movie. But I have to say, after seeing it twice, that I don't like it very much. It doesn't so much strike me as whimsically zany and uplifting as it strikes me as *trying* to be whimsically zany and uplifting. Of course being a work of Gilliam, it has some real style, but it comes off to me as a terribly self-indulged film, that is struggling to convey a positive and humane message, yet at the same time undercutting itself with its own poor attempts at humor. There is a scene about half into the movie in which Jeff Bridges is re-establishing himself, and he is in a meeting with a TV executive, who tells him that he will be starring in a sitcom about homeless people. He describes the project as portraying them as "wacky and fun," with a touch of wisdom, and putting the emphasis on the fact that they are "free." I *think* it is supposed to be ironic, but at the same time, that exactly is what The Fisher King spends a good deal of its time doing -- portraying the homeless and insane as wacky and fun, with an underlying wisdom. Real homeless people are not like the people in this film. Nor are "crazy people" nearly as amusing and inspiring as the crazy people as depicted here. Gilliam wants to make us laugh, and wants to deliver a fairly heavy-handed cry for humanitarianism and inner freedom at the same time, but the ways in which he tries to achieve either goal contradict each other and leave me with the feeling that, stripped of its pretentions of being "uplifting," this is really a rather tasteless film. I'm not someone who is particularly offended by such things, but these factors just sort of leave the whole film in a dubious place for me. A lot of the humor just struck me as awkward, and the dramatic situations were difficult to get into too seriously because there is such an abundance of wackiness surrounding it. I think the Fisher King is a poorly balanced and only mildly entertaining film. I also feel an excruciating amount of self-indulgence here. Oftentimes I like directors who are described as self-indulgent -- including Gilliam -- but in this movie that self-indulgence seems boorish, even if it is well-intended. The film has no solid context -- it wavers between heavy-handed melodrama, social commentary, and general wackiness too frequently and steeply. Yes ... the more I analyze this film to myself, the more I feel it is a real mess. Fairly good performances, and plenty of visual style, but ... a mess.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Day Fairy Tale Classic
Review: One of my absolute favorites, this gem of a film is a comedy, a drama, a romance and a fantasy film all rolled into one. Combined with the twisted & irreverent filmmaking style of Terry Gilliam ("12 Monkeys" and "Time Bandits") this film is not for everyone, but for those who like something different and maybe even a little magical, you can't go wrong with this one. Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges are two men from two different worlds, but both lost and in pain. Mercedes Ruehl and Amanda Plummer are the women in their lives. When circumstanes bring them together, they are able to save one another. A sadly overlooked film filled with wonderment and, in the end, joy.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one. You won't be sorry...promise!
Review: See the world from a new point of view
Rating:
Summary: My fifth favorite Gilliam film that fits into most genres.
Review: This film ranks with me 5th behind the Baron, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, and Fear & Loathing but that doesn't mean I think its bad. Not by any means. I am a loyal Gilliam fan and I never sell out. The casting of Williams was perfect and I loved how Gilliam combined this film into a drama/comedy/fantasy/adventure/romance. The romance element was very unexpected and it worked great.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Classic
Review: Simply put this is a great film that I'm thrilled to have on DVD. The whole cast shines especially Mercedes Ruehl and Amanda Plummer. The Grand Central ballroom scene proves once more that Terry Gilliam is a wonderful director. By the way, the scene with Michael Jeter delivering a singing telegram to Amanda Plummer is one of the funniest scenes ever.
Rating:
Summary: Intelectually meaningful, good casting, interesting plot
Review: This film is an interesting film with the quest of the holy grail in 21st century by a "crazy", homeless man named perry(Robin Williams. His Knight in his shining armor,jack(Jack Bridges), who was responsible for giving advice to a madman causing the death of perry's wife and a couple more in a restaurant. Jack who was once a famous disk jockey now lives with his girlfriend(played by Mercedes Reuhl) drinks heavily and wallow with guilt due to his advice. Perry who in his mind sees a red knight that breathes fire (due to dimentia) actually loves some girl but too shy to approach her. The irony of this movie is that Jack who doesn't even know what love is actually helps Perry to date Mary and act as a cupid. This movie is full of comedic scene that lightens the mood, symbolism, and a modern way to view chivalry. The movie also illustrates human suffering, violence, redemption and love.
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