Boulevard

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It Seems as though Robin Williams didn't do much to Hide His Personal Pain in His Last Dramatic Role. Either that or it's Reading Too Much into the Fact that Shortly After Completing this Film, He Apparently Committed Suicide due to a Lifetime Battle with Severe Depression. It is the Story of a Gay Man who has Hidden His Homosexuality all His Life and at Age 60 Finds Himself Unable to do so anymore. Married with a Good but Thankless Job as a Bank Employee and a Compatible Wife With Whom He Loves and Relates, He is obviously quietly Hiding His Frustrations. After meeting and Falling "In Love" with a Younger Gay Hustler, His Life is Forced from its Seclusion. The Film is a Melancholy Character Study that seems a bit One Note and is Hardly Exploratory Beyond the Obvious. There are a few Poignant and Heartfelt Scenes, like when He comes to the Defense of His Friend with Great Peril to Himself, and His Interactions with His Wife who will Ultimately Bare the Brunt of Williams Life Changing Events. Overall, a Low-Key Drama that Breaks No New Ground, but might be Seen as a Metaphor for the Recent Supreme Court Decision that Unleashed the Homosexual Community from an Eternal Struggle for Acceptance. The Cast is Excellent but the Material is just too Familiar and Pedestrian to make this anything more than a Good Role for the Actor/Comedian and He Delivers one of His Most Restrained and Gentle Performances. R.I.P….Robin Williams

Director Dito Montiel ("A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" and lead singer for "Gutterboy") joins forces with Writer Douglas Soesbe to present what ended up being Robin Williams' final on screen performance. Based roughly on Soesbe's own coming out story, the overall film is unfortunately calculated and predictable. The major cast members (relative newcomer Robert Aguire "Struck By Lighting" and the usually wonderful Kathy Baker " Picket Fences') all wear their wounded hearts on their sleeves, leaving little for the audience to root for and/or feel concerned amount. Luckily, Bob Odenkirk "Breaking Bad" adds a little self-absorbed heart-felt comedic relief. The blame here lies in the hands of the Director, Writer and Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. Look for this film to be over hyped, due to Williams' recent death, then fade away.

This film tells the story of a seemingly happy sixty year old man, with a decent job and a lovely wife. A random encounter makes him reevaluate his life priorities, and he decides to shred his lies and lives the life he really wants. As one of Robin Williams' final films, I'm so glad that "Boulevard" shines in just about every aspect, namely Robin Williams' performance, the plot and the brilliant production. The story is subtle but perfectly portrays the complex psychological battle that Nolan goes through. He's a man who is lonely, and yet he seeks attention from the wrong person, as in a person whose love is for rent. The final showdown between Nolan and Joy is very touching, because I feel for both Nolan and Joy. "Boulevard" tells a very engaging story about a man finally coming to terms with his inner turmoil. I hope more people will have a chance to watch it, because Nolan's story is actually not uncommon in real life.

Robin Williams' loss is certainly one of the biggest blows to Hollywood. He didn't make as many classics as he should have, and maybe he didn't choose wisely or he couldn't do it because of the way the world of movies works. We know he left a legacy that includes "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Awakenings", "Aladdin" and a few other gems. He brought the very strange of Garp to reality, not disappointing those fans of the novel, and if you kept up with him, he brought to life an incredible trio of dark characters on TV and film, in films like "One Hour Photo", "Imsomnia", and in a couple of episodes of "Law and Order, SVU", and if you ever saw "The World's Greatest Dad", you know "Boulevard" was really quite a swan song. Oh yes, it could have been better, but it is truly above average, and it's one of Williams' best roles. In "Boulevard" Nolan (Williams) has been married to a dutiful and devoted but aloof woman named Joy (Baker). Their marriage is an example of that situation where everyone involved is apparently satisfied with an arrangement that keeps both parties content but lacks passion, yet it manages to keep loneliness at bay. We really wonder how anyone can survive such an arrangement because for many it might just resemble a very crowded room where loneliness becomes more potent because there is no connection, where you might hunger for more company because there's no true connection to your mate. Either you resign yourself to it, or wonder into dangerous territories because once you stray, things might never be the same. Fate places Nolan in such position, as he is unable to contain his urges anymore. He has fought them for a long time, and his own personality has enabled him to manage a semblance of normalcy for a long time. His work is monotonous, his wife supports him and doesn't question his idiosyncrasies, and life is at least tolerable. Nevertheless, he meets a young man, Leo (Aguirre), and he develops an obsessive need to be near him. We never truly understand how this works, but if you are a rational human being, you know that emotions sometimes defy logic, and it is this new impulsive obsession that begins to unravel Nolan's life. Soon he is wandering at the most unexpected times, having furtive rendezvous with Leo, trying to change the young man's life, definitely passionate about his new friend but, in an interesting twist, he never really becomes physically involved with him. It doesn't matter because he's still making mistakes, cheating on his wife, confusing his boss and his best friend, and putting every aspect of his life at risk. One thing that becomes more apparent is that Nolan is a lot stronger than we originally believed, and he changes, facing new obstacles, and surprising us with some of the way he manages to overcome some of them. People start judging what they see. Some condemn it, and others just watch, without interfering. "Boulevard" shows that change is difficult, and there are some instances when even the slightest deviation from routine might lead to irreversible damage because no single individual is absolutely detached from the rest of society. The ending of the film hints at the possibility of happiness, but as we have seen throughout the story, happiness is a frail condition, and our world is dark and dangerous. If you manage to conquer the darkness, things might be o.k.