In the latter stretch of his career, the late Robin Williams developed a line in variously dark, disturbed or agonised roles, a sort of extended penance for playing universal Care Bear in glutinous gunk like Patch Adams. Written by Douglas Soesbe and directed by Dito Montiel – briefly a biggish US indie name with A Guide to Recognising Your Saints – Boulevard casts him as Nolan, a closeted bank worker who falls platonically but helplessly for a young street hustler (Roberto Aguire). It’s a lugubrious, creaky affair, as Williams squishes up his face and droops his shoulders with a coyness that can be downright embarrassing. Boulevard comes alive, however, when the formidable Kathy Baker – one of Hollywood’s most perpetually underrated – gets her scenes as Nolan’s wife Joy. This was Williams’s last onscreen role, and while hardly his finest hour, it’s honourably intentioned.
