The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)

So much average

Fantastic!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

In the wake of Williams's suicide, it's difficult not to view THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN as a piece where truth and fiction have unwittingly come together.The basic scenario is one that has been well explored in past comedies: Henry Altmann (Williams) is told by his doctor Sharon Gill (Mila Kunis) that he has ninety minutes left on this earth, and resolves to pack as many things into that space of time as he can. Unfortunately his best-laid plans go wrong; his wife Bette (Melissa Leo) hates him, his son Tommy (Hamish Linklater) hasn't spoken to him for two years, and his childhood friend Bix Field (Richard Kind) has an argument with him over an incident occurring four decades previously when both were at school. Henry's main problem is that he cannot help but get angry at any and every little thing, which prevents him from understanding either himself or others.The narrative unfolds as a chase, with the doctor desperately trying to find Henry and explain things, but Henry proves fascinatingly elusive. There are some very funny set pieces, especially one in a store where Henry tries to purchase a video camera from Ruben (James Earl Jones).In the end the movie becomes a little overwhelmed with gushy sentiment, as the doctor and Henry meet up and things get worked out. Nonetheless there is still time for a hilarious piece of trading racist insults involving Henry, the doctor, and an Uzbek taxi driver (Daniel Raymont).Ingeniously structured round parallel voice-overs, with Williams and Kunis telling about each other's lives, their past, present and futures. THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN is worth watching, despite the saccharine moral.

This is a film that stars Robin Williams as Henry Altman and Mila Kunis as Dr. Sharon Gill. Henry is a man that is wrongly diagnosed with only 90 minutes to live by Dr. Gill. He spends that time traveling all over New York City trying to make up for years of self-inflicted problems. Throughout the film we see Henry's character come of age and realize the importance of his personal relationships, as family is one of the only things that we can actually rely on in this life.As the title insinuates, Henry is a man that struggles with some anger issues. As he is traversing across New York, trying to make amends with his family, we hear many people talk about how much he has changed since the passing of his first son. They show many flashbacks of him throughout the film, many of which he is actually enjoying good times with his family. This is a stark difference from most of the time that we see him, as he hardly ever has a conversation without furiously barraging someone with insults. Henry's character remains the same until a failed suicide attempt, after which, we see a huge change in Henry's personality. Many of the reasons that we loved Robin Williams as an actor start to come out in the end as Henry has a very dynamic role that changes for the better by the end of the film.By the end of the film, Henry gets to meet up with all of his family and start to makeup for the past years that he has wasted. It is something that everyone can relate to, as it is very easy to get caught up in life and forget what is really important to all of us. In the end family is the only that we can rely on we should all be able to truly appreciate them.

I don't understand why this film only grossed 500k and practically went straight to video. I also wonder if the under appreciation for Robin's performance didn't contribute to his depression and ultimately his untimely demise. One trait of a movie that I would rate a 3.5 out of ten like this one averaged is poor acting and no suspension of disbelief. Other traits might be: Unbelievable unsympathetic characters, poor plot, shoddy filming, lousy music score. This film had none of these characteristics. Robin's acting was superb, as was that of his attractive co-star. Both characters were perfectly believable and affable (if flawed). Their eccentric behavior is based on understandable life events in their past. Despite the dark topic of the movie, it still manages to raise a variety of emotions including laughter, insight, relief, joy, thoughtfulness, love, reflection and many more. I guess for a film to have any appeal to the Hollywood crowd or insightful "critics" these days it has to be written for teenagers or by (yawn) Woody Allen. The rest, no matter how endearing or how many redeeming qualities they have, wind up in the straight to video dumpster. Anyway, if it isn't apparent, this is a worthwhile movie I recommend, even though the car crashes and special effects are limited in number. Robin Williams could be proud of his performance despite the horrible reception and reviews the movie received.

We all know Robin Williams, suffering from depression, took his own life not long after this movie was made. I can't help wondering if his role here helped him make his ultimate decision.Robin Williams is Henry Altmann, a bit more serious and less slapstick than many of his roles. He is an angry and frustrated man, a bit at odds with his lone surviving son, and more at odds with his wife. But when he goes for a doctor's appointment, and is forced to see a substitute doctor instead, things get a bit worse for him.The substitute doctor is Mila Kunis as Dr. Sharon Gill. She too is a bit frustrated and overwhelmed that the need always seems to outweigh the time available. She is trying to break it to Henry softly, telling him his tests need to be brought to a specialist, but he presses her so she has to tell him, he has a brain aneurysm and he needs to have it seen by a specialist. Pressed more by relentless Henry she tells him he has 90 minutes to live. So while Henry tries to say goodbye to everyone before 6:22 PM, Dr Gill and others try to round him up to get him to a hospital. The "90 minutes to live" had no basis in medical reality but Henry acted as if it did. And it includes jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, but surviving after Dr Gill runs to shore and jumps in to save him.There is a funny cameo with James Earl Jones as camera shop owner Ruben. As time runs out, and Henry needs to buy a video camera to record his message to his son, Ruben is a bad stutterer and Henry almost loses it waiting for Ruben to answer his questions.Also good are Peter Dinklage as the brother and law partner, Aaron Altmann. As is Melissa Leo as the wife, Bette Altmann. And Hamish Linklater as the son, Tommy Altmann.This is a quirky comedy, a farce, and I enjoyed it. My wife didn't enjoy it as much. On Netflix streaming movies.