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Steven Spielberg reveals why he hates watching iconic movie he directed starring Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 17:52 11 Nov 2024 GMT

Steven Spielberg reveals why he hates watching iconic movie he directed starring Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams

The director confesses he felt like 'a fish out of water' directing the movie

Ellie Kemp

Ellie Kemp

Steven Spielberg has revealed which of his iconic movies he 'doesn't like', and struggles to watch all the way through.

That's right, even critically-acclaimed filmmakers have work they're not most proud of.

Martin Scorsese, widely considered the great director of all time, has regrets over one of the six movies he made starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

And for Spielberg, there's one film in particular from 1991 that gets him cringing.

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That movie is none other than Hook, starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman,.

In the film, the late Williams plays Peter Pan in an alternate world where he does grow old, getting a regular job and a family.

But Pan must revisit Neverland to reclaim his youthful spirit and defeat evil Captain Hook (Hoffman) after his children are kidnapped.

You can watch the trailer above.

Hook was slated by critics, while Rotten Tomatoes reviewers scored it a measly 29 percent. The critics' consensus claims Spielberg was directing on 'autopilot,' and the filmmaker himself seems to agree.

This might upset some Hook fans, as the movie has racked up a cult following over the years, despite its less-than-spectacular reviews.

And in 2018, Spielberg told Empire exactly what he hates about the movie.

Steven Spielberg didn't have much confidence in Hook's script, among other things... (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Steven Spielberg didn't have much confidence in Hook's script, among other things... (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Spielberg admitted he felt he wasn’t able to fully immerse himself in the project while shooting.

He said: “I’ve made a few films like that. I felt like a fish out of water making Hook."

He added: "I didn’t have confidence in the script. I had confidence in the first act, and I had confidence in the epilogue. I didn’t have confidence in the body of it."

Spielberg confessed he 'didn’t quite know' what he was doing, reasoning: "I tried to paint over my insecurity with production value, the more insecure I felt about it, the bigger and more colourful the sets became.”

And in 2011, he told Entertainment Weekly: "I'm a little less proud of the Neverland sequences because I'm uncomfortable with that highly stylized world that today, of course, I would probably have done with live-action character work inside a completely digital set.

"But we didn't have the technology to do it then, and my imagination only went as far as building physical sets and trying to paint trees blue and red."

But speaking at the Kermode & Mayo Film Review programme in 2012, Spielberg explained he'd still be willing to watch the movie again.

He admitted he felt like a 'fish out of water' making Hook, explaining: “I want to see Hook again. I still don’t like that movie. I’m hoping someday I’ll see it again and perhaps like some of it.”

Despite all this, Hook still did well commercially, grossing $300.9 million worldwide and receiving five Oscar nominations.

Can't say any of my worst work has been as successful...

Featured Image Credit: Anthony Harvey/FilmMagic/Vera Anderson/WireImage

Topics: Film and TV, Robin Williams, Steven Spielberg

Ellie Kemp
Ellie Kemp

Ellie joined UNILAD in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. She moved from Reach PLC where she worked as a senior journalist at the UK’s largest regional news title, the Manchester Evening News. She also covered TV and entertainment for national brands including the Mirror, Star and Express. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys watching true crime documentaries and curating the perfect Spotify playlist.

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@EllieKempOnline

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