There is a lot of buzz circulating about Robin Williams since his death on Monday. Think Progress wrote its own tribute to the great actor and comedian by illuminating seven social issues that Williams portrayed on the big screen. Here are the seven films and shows, along with their trailers, that brought social issues to the public:
1. Press freedom in Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
Set in 1965 in Saigon during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, who is very popular with the troops but infuriates his superiors with what they call his “irreverent tendency”.
2. Homelessness and mental health in The Fisher King (1991)
The Fisher King is an American comedy-drama starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges. The film is about a radio DJ who loses his job because of a terrible mistake and tries to find redemption by helping a homeless man who was inadvertently a victim of that mistake.
3. Deforestation in FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a 1992 Australian-American animated film with a strong environmental theme. The plot involves a curious fairy who encounters humans, destroying the forest she lives in, and works along with forest creatures to stop the pollution and deforestation.
4. Divorce and single parenting in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Mrs. Doubtfire is an American comedy based on the novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine, starring Robin Williams (who also co-produced the film) and Sally Field. After a bitter divorce, a talented, but recently unemployed, voice actor dresses as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.
5. Gay and gender identity in The Birdcage (1996)
The Birdcage is an American comedy film that stars Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest. In the film, a gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion pretend to be straight so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée’s right-wing moralistic parents.
6. Domestic abuse in Good Will Hunting (1997)
Good Will Hunting is an American drama film where Will Hunting, an unrecognized math genius janitor at M.I.T., who receives help from a psychologist, played by Robin Williams, to find direction in his life and reevaluate the relationships he has.
7. Addiction in The Crazy Ones (2013)
The Crazy Ones is an American sitcom starring Robin Williams, a confident and charming copywriter, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, his daughter who runs the ad agency he works for.
Featured image by nehocb
