''Seize the Day'' is a 1986

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by Fielder Cook. It stars

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

Jerry Stiller Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015 ...

and

Joseph Wiseman Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 – October 19, 2009) was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor who starred as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' in 1962. Wiseman was also known for his role as Manny We ...

, and is based on the novel of the same name by

Saul Bellow Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; 10 July 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only w ...

, It was broadcast on the PBS "

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is p ...

" series in May 1987.

Plot summary

The story is set in 1956. After losing his job as a traveling salesman of children's furniture, Tommy Wilhelm leaves Massachusetts for New York City. He is under financial strain because of the financial demands of his wife, from whom he is separated. He moves into the same hotel housing his physician father, Dr. Adler, with whom he has a strained relationship. Flashbacks show Tommy's past, how he moved to Los Angeles, changed his name, and tried to become an actor, which failed. His marriage failed because he left his wife, and he is estranged from their two sons. In New York, Tommy becomes involved with Dr. Tamkin, an acquaintance of his father who speculates in the commodities market. He agrees to open an account managed by Tamkin on a 50-50 basis, but Tamkin persuades Tommy to put up most of the money. When prices decline and Tommy wants to cash in the account, Tamkin urges Tommy to remain calm and seize the day. The commodities venture collapses, and he has lost his life savings and cannot even pay his hotel bill. His estranged wife is unsympathetic and his father refuses to help him or even provide emotional support. Tommy tries to find Tamkin, who has vanished. He winds up at a stranger's funeral, where he cries and is mistaken for a mourner.

Cast

as Tommy Wilhelm *

as Dr. Tamkin *

as Dr. Adler *

Richard B. Shull Richard Bruce Shull (February 24, 1929 – October 14, 1999) was an American character actor. Biography Early life Shull was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Zana Marie (née Brown), a court stenographer, and Ulysses Homer Shull, a manufa ...

as Rojax *David Bickford as Son-in-Law *

Glenne Headly Glenne Aimee Headly (March 13, 1955 – June 8, 2017) was an American actress. She was widely known for her roles in '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', ''Dick Tracy'', and '' Mr. Holland's Opus''. Headly received a Theatre World Award and four Joseph ...

as Olive * Stephen Strimpell as Stockbroker *Katherine Borowitz as Margaret *

John Fiedler John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

as Carl *

Jo Van Fleet Catherine Josephine Van Fleet (December 29, 1915"The Bi ...

as Mrs. Einhorn *

Allen Swift Ira Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American voice actor, best known for voicing cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the ''Underdog'' cartoon show. He took his pro ...

as Maurice Venice

Production

Williams' casting in the role was billed as a sharp departure from his previous comic roles, such as the TV series ''Mork and Mindy'', though he had previously appeared in dramatic roles, including ''The World According to Garp''. Williams described it as "kind of like a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Greek drama Ancient Greek theatre was a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, was its centre, where the theatre was ...

." The movie was filmed over a thirty-day period in New York City, longer than most television movies on commercial networks at the time but far shorter than the shooting schedule of a feature film. The film was blocked from theatrical release by Williams' management company. The ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'' reported that the decision was made because the film was not like the comedies for which Williams was known.

Reception

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

'' critic

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

praised the performances but wrote that the film was "a little boring in its relentless depression." The director, he wrote, was "all too willing to let a scene dawdle, the better to emphasize Tommy's torture." A ''San Francisco Examiner'' critic called the film a "powerful drama" and "remarkably faithful reproduction" of the Bellow novel, and praised the performances, calling Williams "first rate." ''New York Times'' critic John J. O'Connor praised Wiseman's performance and said that Stiller "steals the film." But he criticized the casting of Robin Williams as too "Middle American" for a role as a Jewish New Yorker. He wrote that Williams' performance was excessively intense, and that the portrayal of Jewish people whose only yardstick is money is "a scenario calculated to unsettle, possibly even offend." Writing in ''New York'' magazine, critic John Leonard called the film "ugly stuff" but said that Williams "is, for the most part, up to it."

References

External links