Robin Williams’ 10 Greatest Unscripted Movie Moments

Robin Williams was one of the greats, and not just in comedy. His filmography is littered with as many moving dramas as cheeky comedies, and he was the best part of each and every last one of them. Even a poor film could be saved (or close to it) via Williams’ presence, with his enthusiasm and bouncy energy never falling short of being compulsively watchable. And that’s to say nothing of the man’s range, which was considerable.

Also considerable was Williams’ ability to improvise. His free-flowing motormouth skills would often be incorporated into his films, with directors being able to basically just sit back, turn on the camera, and let him go, knowing that they’ll end up with solid, crowd-pleasing minutes.

And, even more impressively, not all of Williams’ improv was solely dialogue-based, with certain gaffes getting saved by his skills to the point where, instead of a ruined take, it’s a take that ends up in the final cut. Here are Robin Williams’ 10 greatest improvised movie scenes.

10. Most of His Dialogue — Jack

Whereas films such as Big nailed the whole rapidly-aging plot device, it wasn’t just the presence of Tom Hanks that made it a hit. It was also a film laced with a sweet, accessible tone, which is something the Robin Williams-led Jack tries for so hard that it ends up tainting the intended effect entirely. But, for all the film’s many flaws, Williams’ almost entirely improv performance isn’t one of them.

An Endearing Role as an Adult-Sized Boy

Williams is consistently able to bring a child-like sense of wonder to Jack Powell, a boy whose aging process takes place four times as fast as so-called normal people. And, the performer is so likable, it’s hard not to feel extra bad for little Powell when he’s bullied… just as it’s hard to fully suspend disbelief in seeing Williams as a five-foot-nine four-year-old boy.

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9. Good Will Hunting — “He Stole My Line.”

One of the best movies to watch when you’re stressed, Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting primarily hinges on the dynamic between Matt Damon’s title character and his therapist, Sean Maguire (Williams). It’s one of Williams’ most proficient and iconic performances, and more than one of his top-tier lines came from the improvisational skills of the Fisher King actor himself. This includes his very last piece of dialogue.

Williams’ Ability to Mix Life and Art

It’s amazing how well Maguire’s muttering of “son of a bitch… he stole my line” works in the movie itself. Young Will Hunting uses the term “gotta go see about a girl” in a letter to Maguire, who looks down at it, smiles, and mutters to himself how his patient has stolen his words, and will assuredly put them and the mentality behind them to good use. The other side of the coin is that Williams is saying it about Damon out of character, and the camera just happened to be on (thank goodness).

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8. Good Will Hunting — The Wife Story

When they were making Good Will Hunting, director Gus Van Sant, Matt Damon, and Williams’ other co-stars couldn’t keep it together more often than not. Why? Because Williams just couldn’t go two seconds without making everyone laugh. And one of his goofs about his character’s deceased wife even ended up in the final cut.

Crafting a Fictitious Person and Making Them Real

Specifically, when Maguire and Hunting are in the former’s office discussing the latter’s progress, Williams inserted a bit about how Maguire’s wife used to “fart in her sleep.” And, when the viewer sees Hunting laugh, it’s Damon’s genuine reaction as much as the title character.

7. Cronauer’s Broadcasts — Good Morning, Vietnam

Barry Levinson’s Good Morning, Vietnam was one of the bigger showcases of Williams’ talent throughout his career. It’s very much a performer-driven piece, with a substantial portion of the runtime devoted to Williams’ Army DJ Adrian Cronauer and Cronauer alone. Predominately, during the character’s broadcasts.

Could Anyone But Williams Play This Role?

Make no mistake — in 1987, there were two performers, at most, who could pull off the lead role for Good Morning, Vietnam successfully: Robin Williams and, maybe, Eddie Murphy. It just required an actor that quick-witted and smart-mouthed. The former brings so much warmth to the role it’s hard not to be glad he got it (not that Murphy was under consideration). The fast-paced broadcasts in the film seem tailor-made for Williams to just go wild with them, and most were completely improv.

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6. Armand’s Slip — The Birdcage

Not exactly a film that could be made now, Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage is nonetheless a charming mid-’90s treat. Based off of La Cage aux Folles, the narrative follows Williams’ Armand Goldman as he frantically tries to convince his son’s soon-to-be-inlaws that he’s straight… when in fact he is not, having learned so during his marriage. In fact, Goldman is so frantic in his ruse, he ends up falling down in the kitchen.

How Does It Play?

This fall was not scripted. But, the expediency with which Williams hops back up and shrugs it off with a joke makes it look like it was always intended. Williams’ wit was singular, saving a flubbed take (not to mention some studio dollars), and you can see the three actors struggling to hold back laughter as he improvs the scene.

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5. Shakespeare Readings — Dead Poets Society

One of Ethan Hawke’s best movies is also one of Williams’, and it’s certainly one of his top-tier dramatic films. Dead Poets Society

is a visually and thematically beautiful work that features Williams perfectly cast as a kind-hearted but unconventional teacher. The type of teacher who can goof around with Shakespeare readings.

A Williams Twist on Shakespeare

Peter Weir, like directors who preceded and followed him, recognized the merit in just turning on the camera and letting Williams do his thing. Weir even hid some of the dailies from Disney, since he was letting Williams go off-script so much, at least for one day of shooting (and often with dialogue that couldn’t end up in a PG-rated movie). For that, he got impressions of John Wayne, Marlon Brando, and off-kilter readings of the Bard’s work.

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4. Much of What the Genie Says — Aladdin

The vast majority of the legacy surrounding Aladdin (1992) is owed to Williams, and while that statement mirrors the thoughts of the film’s director, it also mirrors the thoughts of everyone who has ever seen the film. His turn as the Genie is a scene-stealer, and it’s doubtful Aladdin would be considered an integral part of Disney’s ’90s Golden Age of animation without him.

Not Even Animation Can Keep Williams From Being Williams

An animated character’s effectiveness hinges on the vocal work just as much as the strength of the animation. And, thanks to Williams’ electric energy, Genie practically comes out of the screen and grants the viewers’ wishes.

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3. The Pinocchio Connection — Aladdin

It’s no secret that Williams ended up having major problems with Disney after they broke their word. Specifically, he took SAG scale pay ($75,000 at the time) instead of $8 million with the stipulation that his name and image not be used to promote the film since he had Toys (which had a huge budget and was a risky gamble anyway) coming out the following month.

Furthermore, his supporting character could not take up more than 25% of the marketing material, and Aladdin‘s theatrical poster is basically all Genie. And it’s a shame the relationship ended poorly, at least for a while, because Williams clearly held much love for the company’s output.

After all, Aladdin‘s Pinocchio reference had to be added into the movie after he improvised it. He went into the sound recording studio, tossed out a bit of his Disney knowledge, and instead of that being one of any number of his off-the-cuff remarks that didn’t make the final cut, it did. And, because they found that example of his brilliance so palpable, they paid animators to add it into the film. That’s power.

Was Genie His Only Big Animated Role?

Williams was such a natural for voice acting work, it’s no surprise he did it so often. The same year as Aladdin, the actor voiced Batty Koda in FernGully: The Last Rainforest before playing Fender Pinwheeler in 2005’s Robots and both Ramón (which he probably couldn’t play today) and Louise the Adélie penguins in George Miller’s two Happy Feet films.

2. The Prank Phone Calls — Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire has Williams playing voice actor Daniel Hillard, who quits his job over an ethical disagreement, throws an epic birthday party for his son, and loses his marriage. And, after losing shared custody, Hillard worries he’ll damage his relationship with his kids.

So, he goes to his brother, straps on a wig and makeup, and becomes Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire. But, before he gets that idea, he goes to an employment agency, and when asked what his skills are, it’s Williams himself who answers the question.

RELATED:Mrs. Doubtfire 2 Discussions Happened Before Robin Williams’ Passing, Director Reveals

Rapid-Fire Impressions

The actor rattles through impression after impression, from celebrities to quirky average Joes. His vocalizations are so rapid-fire, the impressions so diverse, it’s hard not to imagine his riffing being able to fill the entire film’s runtime.

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1. The Icing Gag — Mrs. Doubtfire

In ’90s heartwarming classic Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams’ Daniel Hillard is constantly running around like a chicken with its head cut off, frantically attempted to avoid having his newfound dual identity found out. This includes when social worker Gloria Chaney pays her visits. This almost turns disastrous when Hillard’s Euphegenia Doubtfire mask falls out the window and gets run over by a truck, leading him to slam his head into a cake for a makeshift “meringue” night mask.

Hellooooo!

Williams’ head going into the cake was scripted, but what follows was not. The icing wasn’t supposed to start dripping from his face and go into the social worker’s coffee cup, but it did, and the actor ran away with it, leaning into the goof with a few quick gags about cream and sugar.