HOLLYWOOD -- In recent years, Robin Williams' career has become the object of others' punchlines.

The once irrepressible comic whirlwind with the steel-trap mind and quick-draw wit has been accused of all-too-predictably repeating himself.

His critics carp that, at age 57, he's content to party like it's 1989.

Well, the time has come to cut the guy a break--and not just because he's currently recuperating from open-heart surgery.

Sure, he's brought a lot of it on himself -- Patch Adams, License to Wed, Man of the Year, RV -- shall we go on?

But before he was a repeat offender when it came to high-shticking, it's important to remember that Williams once was a truly inspired comic force of nature.

These days, when Hollywood seems intent on remaking every hit '80s movie, even studio execs (at least, so far) have respectfully kept away from those titles that represented some of Robin's finest big-screen work.

It was the decade that spanned The World According to Garp, Moscow on the Hudson and, of course, Good Morning, Vietnam, before closing out with Dead Poet's Society, representing Williams' considerable range.

He'd go on to further critical and commercial success in the '90s with the likes of The Fisher King, Mrs. Doubtfire, the voice of Genie in Disney's Aladdin and Good Will Hunting, for which he took home his one and only Oscar.

For the most part, though, it was beginning to look like Williams was doing variations on his greatest hits, stuck in a Comic Relief time warp from which there was no known escape.

In the years that followed, he attempted to break the mold with darker characterizations (24 Hour Photo, Insomnia), before retreating back into his comfort zone.

But while lately you've been hearing a lot about Williams' personal problems, like his health, his rehab stint and his divorce from his second wife, what you don't seem to ever hear is just how much of an influence he's been on so many of today's successful funnymen.

From Jim Carrey to Adam Sandler (what is his recent Bedtime Stories, if not Jumanji light?); from Seth Rogen to bad boy stream-of-consciousness comic Russell Brand, the Williams brand is unmistakable.

And they've even been learning from their mentor's mistakes.

After encountering mixed success trying their more dramatic sides on for size, both Carrey (The Majestic) and Sandler (Reign Over Me) appear to have given up the Oscar-quest and are getting back to the business of making folks laugh.

We have complete faith that Uncle Robin will get back in touch with his own comic mojo, even if his upcoming releases, including a Night at the Museum sequel in which he reprises the role of Teddy Roosevelt, and Old Dogs, a buddy family comedy with John Travolta, will unlikely qualify as a return to form.

In the meantime, he's more than entitled to lie back and rest on his considerable laurels.

So get well soon, Robin McLaurim Williams. Then get back to work.

Can we have a Nanu Nanu?

Michael Rechtshaffen, a Canadian entertainment writer based in Los Angeles, appears Wednesdays and Sundays