"OBSESS MUCH???" (reviewed by AX)

You used to be able to tell Robin Williams's comedies from his dramas using the beard factor. He had a beard in the dramas (MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON, AWAKENINGS, GOOD WILL HUNTING) and was clean shaven for the comedies (MRS. DOUBTFIRE, FLUBBER, DEATH TO SMOOCHY). But somewhere around the BICENTENNIAL MAN and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME period, this was no longer the case. By the way, those movies were both incredible.

So the last time we saw Robin with blonde hair was in 1980's POPEYE if I'm not mistaken. ONE HOUR PHOTO is a bizarre trip as well, but the blonde hair on Williams is where the similarities end. This time out, he plays a character named Sy who works in the photo processing department at a store eerily similar to Wal-Mart. He seems like a nice old guy, especially to the Yorkin family, who bring in their photos for Sy to develop on a very regular basis. What the Yorkins don't know is that Sy is one twisted summamabitch. He's basically obsessed with this family (which consists of a young wife, her husband, and their little son Jakob...who isn't a liar), and has been for many years.

The reason this movie is so good and suspenseful and scary is mostly due to the creepy atmosphere director Mark Romanek creates, and Williams's masterful performance as Sy. You really never know what Sy is gonna do next as the plot thickens and things get more and more intense. The movie stays tight and intelligent, never going overboard and never letting you out of its grip.

I give ONE HOUR PHOTO a 5 out of 5 because it rules, and is evidence that Robin Williams is one of the most awesome actors around. Beard or no beard.

(9.15.02)