"You lewd, crude, rude, bag of pre-chewed food dude!"

Hook, 1991. Dir: Steven Spielberg

It has been said that "Hook" is the worst movie Spielberg has ever directed. To me, that's not really an insult. If this is the director's "worst", then clearly the man can do no wrong. This movie is pure delight.

I suppose I love this movie so much because I do suffer from a Peter Pan complex - frankly, I don't want to grow up (I'm a Toys-R-Us kid!) But the irony is that I seem to like this movie more and more the older I get. Sure, when I saw it in theaters as a little kid I was overwhelmed by the fantasy of it all, and spent the majority of that evening trying to fly. However, like the Muppets and even a lot of Disney cartoons, there's so much hidden underneath all of that that plays to the grown ups. I love revisiting movies and catching all of the jokes intended for the parents who have to drag their kids to the theater. Not all "kids" movies can do that. Case in point - my dad hated "Rock-A-Doodle".

I fully admit that this movie falls into the usual Spielberg fare - father issues, losing yourself in fantasy, etc., but this movie actually promotes the idea that once in a while, it's alright to have a little fun. It's plain to see the actors in the movie are having a blast. During the food fight scene, Julia Roberts is caught laughing, and I honestly don't think it was acting. But when you're spending all day with Robin Williams, how could you ever hope to hold back a smile?

Certainly the most unforgettable scene for me was when Rufio goes one-on-one with Captain Hook. It's a case of the bad guy winning, but even as a kid, it didn't scare me. Rufio went out a hero, and inspired Peter to embrace his destiny and fight Hook. Sure, Dustin Hoffman clearly is replaced with a trained swordsman (his back is to the camera nearly the entire time!), but Peter avenging his friend is a great battle.

With that, I'd like to mention one of the great joys associated with this movie. I don't know why, but I nearly laughed myself stupid when, 7 years later, I saw the commercials for "Can't Hardly Wait" and thought "holy crap, it's that kid from 'Hook'!" Charlie Korsmo left acting to, no joke, become a rocket scientist, but if I ever get the chance to meet him, the first thing I'll start chanting is "Run home, Jack! Run home, Jack!" Then we'll sing "Paradise City", because I know that song!