Don't watch HBO’s excellent Robin Williams documentary, Come Inside My Mind, without a box of tissues close at hand. It's a total tearjerker. In it, director Marina Zenovich masterfully documents Williams’ unlikely upbringing as an only child with two half brothers—one by each parent—his explosion onto the San Francisco comedy scene, struggle with drugs, mental illness, and work-life balance, and his becoming a household name. Interviews with Williams's close friends like Billy Crystal and Bobcat Goldthwait recount both the intense joy of his friendship, such as his elaborate in-character voicemails, and the sadness of watching him struggle toward the end of his life.
Expertly-plucked scenes from Good Will Hunting, Awakenings, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and more punctuate the different seasons of his time on Earth. After watching Come Inside you'll likely want to celebrate this unrelentingly funny comedian’s life by watching more of his work. Here are the Robin Williams performances available to watch now on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Prime Video.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
One of Williams' most well-known roles is the inspirational school teacher William Keating in Peter Weir's iconic film set in an oppressive all-boys' school. It's good vibes with a powerful streak of melancholy perfectly matches the tone of Come Inside My Mind.
Where to watch: Netflix
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's breakout film directed by Gus Van Sant is the ultimate underdog story, featuring the ultimate Cool Uncle version of Robin Williams. Come for his inspirational speeches about Damon getting his shit together, stay for his fond memories about his wife's sleep farts.
Where to watch: HBO
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Williams improvised nearly all the broadcasts in this comedic take on a war film directed by Barry Levinson, also starring Forest Whitaker. Good Morning, Vietnam set him up for the most nuanced and impactful roles of his career.
Where to watch: HBO
August Rush (2007)
The eccentric street performer Maxell "Wizard" Wallace feels like writers Nick Castle and James V. Hart just wrote a backstory for one of Williams's early improv characters. Technically, Freddie Highmore is the star of August Rush, but Williams steals the show.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Man of the Year (2006)
Remember when election fraud was funny enough to be a plot in an eccentric cinematic satire? Williams's third collaboration with Barry Levinson was a salve for liberals begging Jon Stewart to run for President, and looking back at this gentler time in our political culture is still soothing.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
World's Greatest Dad is an incredibly fucked up movie. Williams plays an insecure, unpopular English teacher and single father named Lance Clayton, whose son dies in an autoerotic asphyxiation accident. He fakes a suicide note to save his son embarrassment, and the aftermath is so bizarre and outlandish its impossible to imagine any other actor in this role.
Where to watch: Hulu
License to Wed (2007)
Come Inside My Mind includes some amazing footage of a young Williams improvising as a preacher in the church of comedy. His character in License to Wed, Reverend Frank, is essentially that character in feature film form. He's an irreverent, invasive spiritual guide and marriage counselor to his flock, making life difficult for Mandy Moore and John Krasinski as they gear up to tie the knot.
Where to watch: Netflix
Cadillac Man (1990)
The Dirty Old Man version of Robin Williams is front and center in Cadillac Man. Car salesman and serial philanderer Joey O'Brien is going to lose his job if he doesn't sell 12 cars in two days. If you've listened to that This American Life episode about how fucked up it is to work at a car dealership, you understand the challenge. Joey does so while facing the wrath of all the women he's sleeping around with, and he deserves every damn second.
Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
The Face of Love (2013)
Williams plays an understated, backseat role in The Face of Love, a perplexing story about a woman who falls in love with a man who looks just like her ex-husband (both characters are played by Ed Harris). Williams' Roger Stillman is caught somewhere in the middle of an unsettling love triangle, and plays it with appropriate awkwardness.
Where to watch: Netflix
Absolutely Anything (2015)
Williams plays a talking dog in this Bruce Almighty-ish sci-fi flick starring Simon Pegg. Aliens deciding whether to demolish the Earth give one random human ultimate power, and will decide the planet's fate based on whether his decisions are good or evil. It's hard to say where "making your dog sentient" falls on that scale, but it gave the world the gift of Williams zipping through a dog's thoughts at lightning speed.
Where to watch: Netflix
The Big White (2005)
Williams plays the spineless Paul Barnell, whose Fargo-like plot to cash in on his brother's life insurance with a phony corpse goes awry when he's confronted by an overzealous investigator—and two hitmen.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Seize the Day (1986)
This is not a sequel to Dead Poet's Society, but more of a foil to it. Williams plays Tommy Willhelm in this bleak adaptation of Saul Bellow's novel about what happens when a man tries to carpe diem without the support of his family or friends.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Insomnia (2002)
The scariest Robin Williams on this list stars opposite Al Pacino in this Christopher Nolan-directed thriller. There's an amazing chase scene between the two men where they're both kind of old, so they're not running that fast, but Nolan keeps it interesting.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
House of D (2004)
Williams's Pappass is a mentally handicapped adult who hangs out with teenage Tommy, played by a young Anton Yelchen, in very mid 00s film House of D. It was directed by David Duchovny, who also stars as grown up Tommy, so there's that. It's an odd film for odd people, so watch it if you're weird enough.
Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian (2009)
Did you know there were more of Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum films? Williams reprises his role as Teddy Roosevelt in the second iteration of the trilogy. No, the first and third films aren't included on any of the major streaming services.
Where to watch: HBO
Friends
Williams and Billy Crystal crashed Central Perk in season three, episode 24. In what looks like pure improv, Williams bemoans his suspicions that his wife is cheating on him with the gynocoloist while Crystal yells at the gang for invading their privacy. This must have been a super fun day on set.
Where to watch: Netflix
Saturday Night Live
Williams appeared in five episodes of SNL, hosting two of them and making guest appearances in three more. Tune in to watch the legend work in a sea of more legends.
Where to watch: Hulu
Law and Order: SVU
Another contender for scariest Robin is his role in the 200th episode of SVU, "Authority." He won the Favorite Scene Stealing Guest Star award at the 35th People's Choice Awards for his portrayal of Merritt Rook, a sadist who hates authority and uses his powers as a psychopath to antagonize the team.
Where to watch: Hulu
Come Inside My Mind
The heartstring-strumming documentary will make you laugh and think and cry and everything. Go watch it before you head to any of the other pictures on this list.
Where to watch: HBO
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