Robin Williams could do serious as well as funny, and brilliantly too, so long as the role was creepy, (see "Insomnia" and "One Hour Photo"). In one of his last films, "Boulevard" he played a closeted gay man in his early sixties who falls for a young hustler. There are no laughs here and the only thing creepy about Robin was seeing him underplay to the point where he seemed to be stopping in mid-sentence. This is certainly no "Good Morning, Vietnam".
Robin may have been a great comic and a fine actor with the right material but whether it was miscasting or just a lack of enthusiasm there is no real engagement with his character here and even at under 90 minutes, the movie drags. It's the kind of film that feels well-intentioned if a tad pretentious, existing in its own precious little bubble and one that is poised to burst. A good supporting cast, (Kathy Baker, "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul's" Bob Odenkirk), are largely wasted.
Robin may have been a great comic and a fine actor with the right material but whether it was miscasting or just a lack of enthusiasm there is no real engagement with his character here and even at under 90 minutes, the movie drags. It's the kind of film that feels well-intentioned if a tad pretentious, existing in its own precious little bubble and one that is poised to burst. A good supporting cast, (Kathy Baker, "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul's" Bob Odenkirk), are largely wasted.