The last live-action role that Robin Williams shot was A Merry Friggin' Christmas, a holiday comedy produced by Sycamore Pictures and distributor Entertainment One, who now are faced with the delicate task of promoting the film that comes out in November.
And right off the bat, the marketing team made an odd choice by releasing a clip that shows the actor, who struggled with addiction and relapsed into alcoholism in 2006, putting a bottle of bourbon in the hands of a kid.
The clip was exclusively released to Entertainment Tonight and debuted on the show Wednesday, three days after the 63-year-old actor committed suicide at his Northern California home.
It was appropriate to begin the film's campaign by releasing a clip at this time. Williams' final on-screen performance is in itself news. It's something people want to see, and with a theatrical release coming less than three months from now, the time to begin promoting a film has naturally arrived.
But there is something unseemly about its contents: In the clip, Williams' character, looking haggard and frankly, hungover, suggests to a young boy that in the absence of cookies and milk, Santa might like something else: a bottle of expensive bourbon.
"I know something Santa likes a lot more than milk and cookies," Williams says, his eyes flashing at the suggestion.
Hollywood walks a fine line between tribute and opportunism whenever one of its brightest stars dies. In almost every case, studios, networks and streaming services scramble to offer their work in the most tasteful way possible, merely meeting the demands of those who wish to honor and reflect upon a legacy.
Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior on Thursday announced that Aladdin will run on the networks both Saturday and Sunday. They'll get great ratings for it, and no one should begrudge that.
But surely A Merry Friggin Christmas, which also stars Joel McHale, had dozens of scenes that did not involve a reference to booze — especially one in which Williams imparts to what appears to his grandson, through words and body language, what a wonderful thing it is.
A representative for Entertainment One did not immediately respond to Mashable's inquiry as to the thought process behind the clip's selection Thursday. It's possible that the clip had been selected and made ready before Williams' death and was the only asset available from the film, which is still in post-production.
