Movies: One Hour Photo

Robin Williams comes to us these days in one of two variants–cuddly or creepy. The latter is marginally more amusing. Here, as “Sy, the photo guy,” he develops not just the snapshots of a seemingly nice middle-class family but also a secret, obsessive, ultimately violent relationship with its members. Williams’ passage from nerdiness to nastiness is plausibly managed. But the movie is also predictable, too pat psychologically. Its main message? Don’t get too friendly with folks on the other side of the service counter. –By Richard Schickel