Robin Williams: Live on Broadway

[StevePulaski]

Robin Williams: Live on Broadway (2002)
Directed by: Marty Callner

Robin Williams performs before a sold-out Broadway crowd in Robin Williams: Live on Broadway.

Rating: ★★★

I feel bad that my main point of criticism about Robin Williams: Live on Broadway is that its pacing is too often breakneck and incredibly fast-paced, mainly because not a week ago I criticized Bill Cosby: Himself, arguably Cosby's most famous comedy special, for being too slowly-paced and long-winded. Watching Robin Williams' special just two days after was like flooring a car after you had been on the scenic route for about an hour; it's abrupt and causes for an incredible shock to the body and mind.

That's not to say Williams' flow is flawed; on the contrary, I view it as a gift, to continue for an hour and forty-minutes, zealously spitting out subjects, some interconnected, some pretty out-of-the-blue, and picking them for their humor. I just wish that Williams would've slowed down a bit so that a point could be made more often, or an idea could be communicated delicately. However, Williams is on go mode, and has no interest in slowing down for us. "Keep Up or Get Lost," would've been a solid subtitle for this comedy special other than the painfully direct one HBO tacked on to it.

Williams talks about everything in a rapid-fire, free-form performance akin to the kind he gives in his films, but with no set screenplay to stick to. He discusses the usual topics - politics, women, current events, pop culture, and so forth - but what is consistently interesting about Williams in his stand up special is the way he is vulgar and unfiltered. Whenever Williams obtained an R-rated film role, it was a role where he had to be in a state of gridlocked seriousness. There was nothing wrong with that; Williams is one of the few actors I can't say whether or not I liked him more in a comedic performance or a serious one. However, scarcely did Williams do a comedic film role that was R-rated, which allowed for his completely unrestricted, vulgar presence to be shown.

Robin Williams: Live on Broadway is his quintessential stand up comedy special because we see what Williams is about from the moment he begins. He has about ten or twelve water bottles by his side, using maybe three of them during the entire performance. Hydration is a key component of his shows, being that he is constantly running around and talking a mile a minute. Any less than that number of water bottles would permit extreme exhaustion or unconsciousness on Williams' behalf. Director Marty Callner, the man behind the camera for many comedy specials, directs with a certain liveliness as well. Yet it's not like he has much of a choice in this department; Callner must keep up with the craziness unfolding before his eyes and Williams barely stops long enough to take a breath let alone take a solid, still-picture.

The stand up special is a must for fans of Williams' work, and shows an artist as a commanding force over his audiences not only in material, but in zealous, incomparable delivery.

Directed by: Marty Callner.