Awakenings (1990)
Even in his prior dramatic roles, Robin Williams had always been given a chance to display his comedic chops. His DJ sequences and front-of-the-class monologues were basically stand-up performances woven relatively well into the narrative. With "Awakenings," Williams gave his first fully restrained role as a doctor watching with joy and then horror as his patients improve, only to deteriorate again. As with all of director Penny Marshall’s films, the sentimentality in this one is occasionally overwhelming, but with this (true to life) subject matter it’s hard not to shed a tear.
