Two troubled men face their terrible destinies and events of their past as they join together on a mission to find the Holy Grail and thus to save themselves.
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CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
"Jack Lucas" (Jeff Bridges) is one of those late night radio presenters who loves the sound of his own voice and who enjoys nothing better than to put down, disdainfully, the collection of sad individuals who phone in with their problems. It's one of his casual off-the-cuff remarks that leads to a tragedy and a spiral that sends him into some serious doldrums. Things change for ever one night when he finds himself on the wrong end of a beating and then rescued by an eccentric looking fellow called "Parry" (Robin Williams). This is an erudite and complicated man who is obsessed with the "Fisher King" legend of the Holy Grail. Upon further investigation, "Lucas" learns more of the tragic cause of his new friend's predicament and as much as for his own salvation as for that of "Parry", he embarks on a task to find him meaning again. To that end he introduces him to the shy "Lydia" (Amanda Plummer) in the hope that this might help him find a new reason to live again. Things come full circle when "Parry" himself becomes a victim of the thugs and "Lucas" must strive to fulfil the quest and save something of both men. Whilst all of this chaos is bubbling away, it's down to "Anna" (Mercedes Ruehl) who is the former broadcaster's long-suffering girlfriend, to carefully tread on the eggshells of her relationship with him whilst quite temperamentally (and engagingly) trying to make sure she keeps him on as straight and narrow a path as possible. This is one of Bridges' better and more natural efforts and he works well with what I thought was an over-the-top performance from Williams to provide a film that is at times funny and at times quite poignant. The underlying mythology is quite effective at providing a modern day conduit for an ancient story of a hunt for the perfect in all of us and though it does take it's time, Bridges keeps it going.
