Seize the Day (film)

Seize the Day is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film directed by Fielder Cook, based on the 1956 novella of the same name by Saul Bellow. Robin Williams stars as Tommy Wilhelm, a middle-aged man facing a midlife crisis, financial ruin, and familial estrangement.

The film follows Wilhelm over a single day in New York City as his life unravels. He struggles with a failing business venture orchestrated by a shady doctor named Tamkin (Jerry Stiller), a distant and uncaring father (Joseph Wiseman), and a soon-to-be ex-wife who demands alimony. Desperate and increasingly isolated, Wilhelm seeks solace and understanding but finds himself further alienated and exploited.

The film aims to capture the themes of existential despair, identity, and the search for meaning in a modern, impersonal world, as explored in Bellow's original novella. It received critical acclaim for Williams' performance and its faithful adaptation of the source material. The setting is heavily influenced by Bellow's own experiences of the bustling and at times isolating experience of life in New York City.