Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind

Recently, I've noticed a particular pattern that HBO Documentaries tends to use for their productions: They aren't afraid to tackle an already-covered subject (like Andre the Giant or Robin Williams), and along with hitting all the important beats they somehow uncover new footage and conduct really impressive interviews.

This is exactly what happens in "Come Inside My Mind". Since his death in 2014 (and probably even before), Robin Williams has been the subject of many a documentary piece. This one covers maybe 70% of the same ground, but that other 30% is the key. In "Come Inside My Mind", I saw footage of both him and his work that I had never seen before. The interviews with his contemporaries are also riveting and seem to add new perspective rather than hit the same old beats.

The bottom line here is that it is tough to make a really good, original Robin Williams documentary these days, but HBO pretty much manages to nail it here. While a scene or two here or there might feel a bit derivative, for the most part this is a very well-produced look at Williams both in front of and behind the cameras.

Over four years ago now the world and in-turn the film/entertainment industry lost one of its brightest stars Robin Williams, it was a dimming of a light that will never be truly replaced, such was the skill and charisma that the beloved comedian and actor brought to his life.

A maniacal presence that seemed to always be operating at a different level to the rest of us, a mind full of ideas, complexities and wisdoms, Williams was a hard figure to pin down exactly, as you were often unsure if what you were seeing was the whole picture, but documentary filmmaker Marina Zenovich looks to examine this aspect in her fascinating and wonderfully put together HBO feature Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind.

Not a typical documentary experience, as Zenovich crafts much of the film around Williams various interviews and musings as well as interviews with his loved ones and those that worked with him, Mind acts as both a heartfelt tribute to the esteemed performer and a sombre and honest representation of a man that had many demons over his career and battled (often outside of public knowledge) many an issue, that somehow never managed to deter Williams from bringing so much fun and entertainment to so many.

Mind is the type of experience that only enhances the legacy of Williams, who rose from unknown street comedian to TV alien, through to an Oscar winning actor, as we are taken through memory lane from Williams early days through to his more sombre and quiet end times, an actor and thinker trying to come to terms with life and what lays before him.

It's an affectionate undertaking, filled with rare and perhaps otherwise unseen private photographs and home videos and is filled with recognisable participants such as Williams long term friend Billy Crystal, Mork and Mindy co-star Pam Dawber and family members such as one-time wife Valerie Velardi (who battled with Williams previously non-public infidelity) and son Zak Williams, who all talk frankly and openly about their dear friend and family member.

Mind also wisely doesn't just examine Williams with rose-tinted glasses, as we are made very much aware of a man that whilst filled with goodness and kindness, was as flawed and filled with foibles as all of us, giving us a true all round picture of the man behind the icon.

Final Say -

A must-see for both ardent fans and more casual consumers of Williams life and work, Come Inside My Mind is an insightful look into the life and times of one of the all-time great entertainers, taken from us far too soon.

4 phone messages out of 5

You'll laugh and you'll cry. Such a Powerful documentary. Many people in the entertainment industry have come and gone but this is by far the Toughest. :(

"Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind" (2018 release - 117 min.) is a documentary about the life and times of comedian Robin Williams. As the documentary opens, we see robin improvise widely in an interview, while impressing a theater crowd at the same time. "Are you thinking faster than us?" asks the interviewer? Robin grins broadly. We then go back in time to his youth and high school days, and quickly we find ourselves in "Edinburgh, 1971", where he is performing "The Taming of the Shrew"... At this point we are a good 10 min. into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest bio-documentary from director Marina Zenovich, who previously has brought us documentaries about, among others, Richard Pryor and Roman Polanski. Here she tackles the ups and downs in Robin Williams' life and career. The bet moments come in the movie's first half, where we get clips, never seen before, of Robin's brilliant stand-up comedy. A slew of talking heads bring their perspective on it all, including Billy Crystal, "Mork & Mindy" co-star Pam Dawber, and, later on, Zak Williams, Robin's oldest son, now in his mid-30s. "Seeing him sharing with others was hard", admits Zak, as he rues Robin's many absences during Zak's childhood. But the bottom line was that Robin enjoyed life on stage: "On stage he was comfortable and in charge, in real life he was not", comments someone and that just about sums it up.

"Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival to good acclaim, and then went straight to HBO, which is where I caught it on HBO On Demand recently. The documentary is well made, no doubt. The last half hour, though, is pretty tough to watch, for obvious reasons. If you are a fan of Robin Williams, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

It's an HBO documentary special on late great comedian Robin Williams. It tackles his humor, his family, his addictions, and his sobriety. It doesn't shy away from the addictions but his comedy does lighten the hit. It isn't the darkness of reality but it is how he dealt with it. The most fascinating is after Awakenings when he starts diving into mental illness. No one can truly get inside his manic mind but it gives us a glimpse. As a bio, it hits all the landmarks. It isn't going inside his mind as advertised. It is a witness to his journey and that is the best that one can hope for. One thing is for sure. No one can ever really play him in a biopic. Not only is his an original. No one can hope to copy him.