Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is full of love for an ineffable genius
By Erin Qualey
Marina Zenovich’s documentary about comedy icon Robin Williams presents a picture of a man few knew but whom everyone adored.
I remember exactly where I was when I learned that Robin Williams had died. The exact place isn’t important, but the fact that I – and thousands, possibly millions of others – all shared that experience says a great deal about the man.
As a kid born in 1983, I was perfectly positioned to absorb all that Peak Robin Williams had to offer. Aladdin, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, reruns of Happy Days on Nick at Nite, and Hook – bangarang!!! – fueled my ever-growing love for the man. I even adored Death to Smoochy. To me, Robin Williams was a revered comedy icon, capable of making people laugh, sure, but he was also skilled at conveying unknowable depths of emotion, captivating viewers like no other.
No matter what Williams did, he vibrated off the screen, making his presence known with an ethereal and magnetic aura that sucked eyeballs to him like moths to a flame. However, while he seemed to thrive off of giving audiences doses of happiness delivered with his dazzling brand of intellect and charismatic charm, he kept his inner life very private, leaving an ineffable mystery for those he left behind.
Documentarian Marina Zenovich (Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired) attempts to get to the bottom of that mystery with her film Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. Throughout the course of the documentary, it’s clear that Zenovich hopes to present a clearer picture of a man who always eluded definition. She cleverly pulls from the interviews in which the comedian was the most candid, allowing him to (mostly) provide context for the life he led and the decisions he made. One of the interviews she utilized was Williams’ 2010 fascinating interview with comedian Marc Maron on the popular podcast WTF with Marc Maron. Maron recently re-released this episode in conjunction with an interview with writer David Izkoff who published a book about Williams back in June. Given that the two men often find it difficult to describe Williams’ essence, you can probably skip over the chatter that precedes the 2010 interview, but the main event showcases Williams at his quietest and most introspective, and it’s definitely worth a listen in full.
Williams’ bits of narration are accompanied by outtakes from projects he worked on, direct clips from his vast body of work, candid video and audio provided by friends and family, and interviews with those friends and family members. Patterns emerge in the footage, showing a man who was a keen observer of the human condition, but who struggled with understanding and managing his own psyche. As the interviews unspool, there’s ample commentary from William’s friends and family, including interviews with his ex-wife Valerie, his son Zac, and comedians David Letterman, Eric Idle, and Billy Crystal. While these discussions certainly provide context for situations that unfolded in the past, they don’t really succeed in revealing anything more than a casual fan might know about Williams.
Yet, to crib from an old quote – talking about Robin Wlliams is like dancing about architecture. Which is to say, there’s no way to fully express how fantastic Robin was without watching him in action. Thankfully, the documentary is generously sprinkled with sundry footage of Robin being Robin. His unique brand of energetic entertainment is illustrated in outtakes where he riffs with Elmo from Sesame Street (yes, seriously), pinballs around the set of Mork and Mindy, and delivers a particularly clever impromptu speech involving Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day Lewis at the 2002 Critics Choice Awards.
But what the interviews lack in revelation, they more than make up for in love. The love is so real, y’all. Billy Crystal shares old stories about Williams, his interview studded with pregnant pauses full of emotion. Williams son, Zac, recounts his father as a loving contemporary, and Eric Idle even wrote a playful song for his friend that plays over the end credits.
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In the end, the documentary doesn’t truly provide any new insight into lingering questions fans may have about the inner workings of Williams’ unparalleled comedic mind. But maybe that’s how it’s meant to be. Ultimately, the legacy Williams left behind was one of love, life, and laughter, and Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind simply proves that he was the ultimate entertainer, always leavin’ em wanting more.
‘Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind’ premieres Monday, July 16th at 8/7c on HBO.