Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams) is a musician in the Moscow Circus. He lives with his grandfather and family. His girlfriend is looking to get married. The Soviet Union is a world of line-ups, black markets, and stagnate police state. His best friend clown Anatoly Cherkasov tells him that he's defeating during their upcoming New York performance. The KGB is monitoring them closely and Vladimir is supposed to be watching over Anatoly. In New York, Anatoly loses his nerves but Vladimir suddenly decides to defect. In Bloomingdale's, he's hiding under sales clerk Lucia Lombardo (María Conchita Alonso)'s skirt and helped by security guard Lionel Witherspoon (Cleavant Derricks). He's a fish out of water and tries to adjust to his new world.
Robin Williams delivers a performance of both drama and comedy in equal parts. It is a really human story. The defection in Bloomingdale's is fun and surprising touching. It's a solid and fun immigrant story. It's also a little long for a comedy. There are some slower spots in the middle. It would be better for Vladimir to play his sax sooner and get to his failure quicker. This is a really fine complete performance from Robin.
Robin Williams delivers a performance of both drama and comedy in equal parts. It is a really human story. The defection in Bloomingdale's is fun and surprising touching. It's a solid and fun immigrant story. It's also a little long for a comedy. There are some slower spots in the middle. It would be better for Vladimir to play his sax sooner and get to his failure quicker. This is a really fine complete performance from Robin.