The Fisher King

When New York radio DJ Jack Lucas (Bridges) inadvertently drives a listener to commit mass murder, his confidence and career crumble. Three years on, he's rescued from suicide and muggers by Parry (Williams), a deranged hobo whose wife died in the massacre. A former professor of medieval history, Parry has two dreams: to retrieve the Holy Grail, and to win the heart of the fair Lydia (Plummer). Consumed by guilt, doubtful about his future with his lover Anne (Ruehl), Lucas concludes he can redeem himself if only he can bring Parry and Lydia together. The plot may be wayward, but Gilliam's film is mostly funny and exhilarating: at once nightmarish and deeply romantic, a partly fantastic study in loneliness, lunacy, despair and violence, it's also spectacularly visual (despite the atypical dearth of special effects). Moreover, Gilliam allows his actors unprecedented space, and they respond admirably (Bridges and Plummer especially). Scary, touching, often hilarious, this modern fairytale is surprisingly enchanting.