Hook (1991)

In Steven Spielberg’s long career he has had very few misfires. While Hook may not be his most maligned movie, it was greeted with fairly negative reviews when it first came out. These reviews were fairly justified – it is overlong, overcrowded, cloyingly sentimental at times, and is nearly undone by a fatal piece of miscasting (more on that later). It is easily one of Spielberg’s weakest movies. Yet, I must confess that I have a soft spot for Hook.  If you have read this blog before, then you know that I am a hopeless Spielberg apologist and tend to find value in most of his movies (the only exception being The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which is just dreadful). Hook is not a great movie, but it makes for a passable entertainment.

The first half hour of Hook is fairly efficient filmmaking.  Peter Pan has grown up to become a lawyer and father. Unfortunately, he is a fairly distant parent – he takes a business call during his daughter, Maggie’s school play (which happens to be Peter Pan) and misses his son Jack’s championship baseball game. He has also completely forgotten about his time in Never Land and dismisses Granny Wendy’s claims as those of a crazy old lady. The workaholic father is a fairly old cliché, but Spielberg is able to get a lot of mileage out of it thanks to Robin Williams first rate performance.  There is a hint of resentment in Williams’ performance – Peter often views his children as a burden rather than a source of joy. He would rather spend time talking business on his cell phone than play with his kids. This sense of resentment is fully realized when Jack blows up at his children because they are being noisy and interrupting an important phone call. Peter Banning is the rare instance of an unlikable protagonist in Spielberg’s filmography – he is total wet blanket and lacks any humor. His attempts at “bonding” with Jack are even more pathetic – he makes promises he doesn’t intend to keep and then gives Jack a watch (which is a family heirloom).  

The children are a mixed bag. Charlie Korsmo (coming off Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy) gives a fairly naturalistic performance, while Amber Scott is more of your typical movie child; she is overly cute and could easily be the star of a McDonald’s commercial. She is not terrible, but she can be a bit grating at times (especially when she sings musical number “When You’re Alone”).  

 Caroline Goodall is fine as Moira, but she is given very little to do.  The character of Granny Wendy is a bit problematic; when Peter is reunited with her it is supposed to evoke a sense of nostalgia, yet this only works if you are familiar with the story of Peter Pan. If you have never read the book, nor seen any previous screen adaptations, the reunion with Peter and her falls flat. Later in the movie, we get a brief recap of their long history together, but it covers less than a minute of screen time. Still, Maggie Smith is very good and brings a much needed warmth to the proceedings. 

 

Hook speeds along efficiently for the first thirty minutes and then it hits its first road block in the form of Julia Roberts’ Tinkerbell.  There is one word that perfectly sums up Robert’s performance: AWFUL! She seems less like a magical fairy and more like a vacuous cheerleader; one going through the motions because she has other things on her mind. In defense of Julia Roberts, she was going through a turbulent time in her life (Keifer Sutherland had broken off their engagement) and she filmed the majority of her scenes in front of a green screen, separate from the cast.  However, it’s clear that this was just a pay day for Roberts and her casting was just a cynical move by the studio to generate bigger box office (she was coming off her star making performance in Pretty Woman).  It is one of those rare cases, where the movie might have been better served by a special effect than an actual performer. In the stage version of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell is depicted as a ball of light and this simple effect is  far more interesting than Robert’s performance (and less costly). 

It is also a shame that given the movie’s big budget (70 million, a sizable sum for 1991) that Neverland looks more like a theme park than a magical place of adventure. The introduction of the Lost Boys' Hideout plays less like a scene from a movie and more like a commercial for THE SUPER AWESOME LOST BOYS PLAY SET.  The Lost Boys are another obstacle that the movie has to overcome, because other than Rufio and Thud Butt, they are completely devoid of personality and are fairly interchangeable. The only thing that distinguishes Thud Butt from the others (other than the fact that he is overweight) is his ability to turn into a human bowling ball and knock over various pirates.  Rufio is the leader of the Lost Boys and is antagonistic towards Peter, but eventually recognizes that Banning is the real “Pan.”

SPOILERS FOR A TWENTY SIX YEAR-OLD MOVIE: Rufio’s death at the hand of the Captain Hook is extremely odd and doesn’t ring true. His dying words are that he wishes he had a father like Peter. Why? Up until like five minutes ago Rufio viewed Peter as his inferior.  When exactly did he begin to view Peter as a father figure? They never have a genuine moment of bonding.  It is also amazing how quickly everyone forgets about Rufio’s untimely demise.  Less than a minute after Rufio kicks the bucket, Peter is cracking jokes at the expense of Captain Hook. It is an extremely odd decision. If the movie had a much darker tone, and Rufio was more likable, then his death would make sense.  Was the movie originally supposed to be darker? Nick Castle was originally slated to direct Hook (and even helped developed the screen story) but was replaced by Steven Spielberg.  After looking at Castle’s directorial credits (which include: The Last Starfighter, Dennis the Menace, and Major Payne), I’m not sure his version would have been any better.

Why exactly do I like this movie? The production design is terrible, Julia Roberts is awful, and the Lost Boys are fairly annoying. These are three key elements of the story and should render it an unwatchable mess. Thankfully, Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins arrive in the nick of time to liven up the proceedings. In the 1953 Disney and Broadway musical of Peter Pan, Captain Hook is a comical character, so it is appropriate that Hoffman chews up the scenery with his flamboyant performance. It also makes him a perfect match for Williams’ Peter Pan. If Captain Hook were portrayed as a bigger, more intimidating figure it would be difficult to believe that Peter Pan could best him in a sword fight. 

Hoskins is fun as Smee, Captain Hook’s bumbling sidekick who is not nearly as stupid as he looks. It is Smee that comes up with the ultimate revenge plan:  Have Captain Hook win the love of Peter Pan’s children.  This is pretty clever idea and while Captain Hook doesn’t succeed with Maggie, he comes close to winning over Jack. This is much more interesting than just having Hook and Peter fight it out at the end, plus it actually raises the stakes. It gives the movie an element of time:  Maggie tells Jack that Neverland makes people forget, so the longer Peter is separated from his children, the better chance Hook has at successfully enacting his plan. Will Peter arrive in time? Will Jack forget his parents? Granted, the answer to both these questions is obvious, but it makes the final conflict between Peter and Hook far more personal. 

Hook is definitely one of Spielberg’s weakest efforts. He was simply the wrong director for this movie. However, it says a lot about Spielberg that even his worst movies (except The Lost World) are fairly watchable. Of course, I am also a hopeless Spielberg fan boy, so a good many of you will probably roll your eyes at that sentiment. 

Credits
Cast: Dustin Hoffman (Captain Hook), Robin Williams (Peter Banning/Pan), Julia Roberts (Tinkerbell), Bob Hoskins (Smee), Maggie Smith (Granny Wendy), Caroline Goodall (Moira), Charlie Korsmo (Jack), Amber Scott (Maggie), Dante Basco (Rufio), Raushan Hammond (Thud Butt), Arthur Malet (Toodles), Gwyneth Paltrow (Young Wendy), Ryan Francis (Young Peter Pan), Phil Collins (Inspector Good), Laurel Cronin (Liza), Alex Zuckerman (Latchboy), Thomas Tulak (Too Small), Jasen Fisher (Ace), Isaiah Robinson (Pockets), James Madio (Don’t Ask), Ahman Stoner (No Nap), Glenn Close (Gutless), David Crosby (Tickles).

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay:  James V. Hart, Malia Scotch Marmo. Nick Castle (screen story.
Running Time: 142 min.