Toys (1992) review

Before he passes away from a faulty ticker, toy maker Kenneth Zevo (Donald O'Connor) turns his company over to his brother Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Michael Gambon), who wants to convert the joyous facility into a manufacturer of mechanized, combat-ready weapons, and there to try to put a stop to it are Kenneth's man-child son Leslie (Robin Williams), his "daughter" Alsatia (Joan Cusack) and Leslie's new "girlfriend" Gwen (Robin Wright).  Everyone involved in the design of the sets and costumes should be commended for their creative work (this includes Ferdinando Scarfiotti, Edward Richardson, Albert Wolsky and Linda DeScenna), but the rest of it is a disaster and might be Levinson's most obnoxious movie (to date): it's an overly simple and empty experience that basically translates to "war is hell" (although ironically concludes with a conflict between "good" and "bad" toys) and somehow manages to completely neuter the usually spastic Williams, turning him into a depressive and mostly humorless sad-sack (that David Byrne impersonation is spot-on, however).  The idea of training children to play video games without realizing they're piloting unmanned aircraft and killing real combatants (and likely civilians too) is prescient (especially with the current usage of drone warfare), but it belongs in a significantly more nuanced production.  It also marks the screen debut of Jamie Foxx, who acts alongside rapper LL Cool J (who plays Leland's son) ... the two would reunite in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday and the fists would go flying....