In 1998, Robin Williams won his first and only Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor” in “Good Will Hunting.” Afterwards, he went on to star in other films like “What Dreams May Come,” “Patch Adams” & “Bicentennial Man.” Realize his career’s stale, Robin played against type as a villain in Christopher Nolan’s “Insomnia” & “One Hour Photo.”
Released in 2002, (same year 28 Days Later came out) it earned positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it made money at the box office. Despite “Death to Smoochy” wasn’t pretty good, Robin managed to win critics for his performance in Insomnia & One Hour Photo.
Anyway, it’s Halloween Month 2023. I’m reviewing several Horror films throughout October. Which Horror film should I review next? Please leave a comment and I’ll reply back. I consider One Hour Photo as a Horror film? Why? Because James Rolfe/Angry Video Game Nerd did a review on it as part of his Horror movie themed review, “Monster Madness.”
This review contains no SPOILERS. I’m giving some of you a chance to see this underrated film.
Clear & Blurry Qualities
Clea: Robin Williams did a magnificent job for his performance. Shame, he didn’t get an Oscar nomination for “Best Actor.” I still consider his role as Walter Finch from Insomnia as his best.
Other Cast Members such as Connie Nielsen & Gary Cole both did a solid job for their respective performances.
Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) did a great job directing. He also wrote the script.
Cinematography didn’t suffer from Shaky Cam.
The photos of the Yorkin Family aren’t photoshop, they’re actually taken with actual photos.
Pacing didn’t feel like a drab. I was hooked from the beginning.
Gary’s character, Bill has the exact same name as the manager from “Office Space.” I would assume Bill in One Hour Photo exists in another universe.
Sy’s last name is Parrish. A reference to Robin’s character, Alan Parrish from “Jumanji.”
SavMart, the store Sy works at, is based on Wal-Mart.
Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) appears as a cop.
At the 18:00 mark, Sy’s watching “The Simpsons” on TV. The episode he’s watching is “Cape Feare.” A parody of Martin Scorsese’s remake of “Cape Fear.” Coincidentally, another film from 2002 called, “Trapped” also featured a scene with The Simpsons playing on TV. Trapped is an underrated neo-noir crime thriller starring Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon, Courtney Love and my fifth favorite actress, Dakota Fanning.
Primary Themes are Loneliness & Obsession. Both are handled maturely.
Fun Fact 1: Remember that toy Jake showed to Sy? It’s from Neon Genesis Evangelion.” It’s a anime series like “Gundam.” Robin was a huge anime fan. In real life, he owned the toy. I haven’t seen Evangelion, but I’ll write an article on it someday.
Fun Fact 2: Speaking of Gundam, Jake carries an unopened box of a mecha. Again, Robin was a fan of anime. First time I’ve heard of Gundam, was a series known as “Gundam Wing.” It uses to air on Cartoon Network/Toonami. Man oh man I miss my childhood. I was lucky growing up watching Toonami in the late 90s. I still watch it on Adult Swim.
Robin’s not alone for paying a dramatic role in 2002, Adam Sandler also played against type in “Punch-Drunk Love.”
Sy’s reason why he’s stalking the Yorkin Family makes absolute sense. You’re gonna be shocked.
After watching One Hour Photo for the first time, you can rewatch it for subtle clues on Sy’s background.
According to Mark, the Ending is open to interpretation.
Blurry: The movie’s a tad dated. Why? Because Digital Photography was skyrocketing in the early 2000s. If One Hour Photo were made today, the plot would never happen. We’re now living a world with iPhones. You take a photo anytime.
Product Placement featuring brands such as Dairy Queen, Coca-Cola, Sony, Kellog’s & Canada Dry. I’ll let this con slide, because I couldn’t find any other brand to shove down my throat.
The Final Verdict: A-
One Hour Photo is an underrated psychological thriller. It’s one of Robin Williams best (if not the best) non-comedic roles. If you’re curious to see this gem, it’s a must-watch definitely worth your spare time. Honorable Mention goes to Insomnia. So, don’t forget to check it out.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 