On The Contrary: “Hook” Is A Great Film

Hook, the absolutely star-studded film directed by Stephen Spielberg, has received mixed reviews from critics since its release in 1991. I still can’t figure out why. One could have given the Academy Award for Best Actor to Dustin Hoffman, and Best Supporting Actor to Robin Williams.

If you don’t believe me, watch it. This movie was so big that Dame Maggie Smith had a bit part as an aged Wendy Darling. Julia Roberts, fresh off the blockbuster success of the breakout hit Pretty Woman, also had a role.

Unnamed Disney executives were unhappy with the financial return. Mind you, it had a budget of $70 million, but it made $330 million. Nobody went home hungry after this film and the audiences loved it.

As well they should have.

It’s my favorite Robin Williams film, and that’s really saying something. Robin Williams was an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting (1997) and was nominated three other times.

It could have easily been five or six times, justly. We don’t just love him because we lost him; he was good, and even great, most times he was on the screen. And as most of us know, he had a kind of generosity we thought we could feel.

His death hit very hard for me and many others. Not bad for a stand-up comedian, I say.

As I was saying, nobody should be ashamed of this film. Spielberg has famously disavowed the film, as I previously mentioned in a salute to Robin Williams here at Open For Business. Apparently, Spielberg regrets it because he used too much red paint or something.

With all due respect to the great director: get over yourself. It probably turned out better than his true vision would have made it. (In fact, the Academy Award nominations it did receive were for makeup and set design, so let’s not take honors from those people.)

In other news, has John Williams ever scored a bad movie? No, I can’t think of one, either.

OK, if we’re tired of the “Busy adult is reminded of what’s truly important” trope, we should recall that we live in the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the history of humanity. Even when we lecture ourselves, it sounds self-serving. Besides, we wouldn’t have a story if busy corporate “pirate” “Peter Banning” didn’t come to Neverland.

That transformation was painful, awkward, hilarious, and inspiring. When we hit the “farewells,” it lands so hard because the acting is so good. Charlie Korsmo and Amber Scott absolutely nail their roles as Peter’s kids.

A standout performance is given by Dante Basco as Rufio, leader of the Lost Boys. They even got music legend Phil Collins to pop in as the inspector investigating the terrifying kidnapping of the Banning children.

Granted, I’m firmly on the sentimental side, but you want to know if it earns the emotional denouement. It absolutely does! The world of J.M. Barrie led by Peter Pan and friends has charmed us and helped us grow up for more than a hundred years now; we have loved it enough to interpolate.

If I hear another bad thing from anyone about this movie, you’re going in the Boo Box!