Review – Hook

Though Peter Pan wasn’t one of my favorite tales from childhood, Barrie’s story itself has some charm. Add Steven Spielberg and the late-20th-century fascination with the “inner child” to the mix, however, and you get something a lot harder to take. Robin Williams stars as Peter Pan, grown up and become a mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer with neglected kids of his own. Though he’s forgotten Neverland, Neverland hasn’t forgotten him. In particular, Captain Hook is still out for revenge, kidnapping our hero’s children in order to draw him back into a final battle. Dustin Hoffman does an amusing job as Hook, adopting the mannerisms of William F. Buckley to give the character some smarmy creepiness. Aside from little touches like that, however, the movie is an extended sermon on the importance of discarding the trappings of adulthood and openly embracing playfulness and imagination. The message isn’t necessarily without merit, but the execution is so stiff and inept that it’s hard to embrace. Imagine a Terry Gilliam idea produced and directed by the monster studio budget and ego of Spielberg, and you’ve got some idea what you’re in for. See if desperate