One Of Robin Williams' Iconic Films Is Actually A Wall Street Movie With A Great Message
Sony Pictures
I grew up watching Williams' films-Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Jumanji, Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, etc. He's a legend.
Feeling sentimental, I decided to watch the Peter Pan remake "Hook" on Netflix last night.
Watching the film as an adult, it made me realize that it's actually sort of a Wall Street movie. Maybe it's just the financial journalist in me.
Either way, the film has a simple, important message that's applicable to Wall Street today - spend time with your kids.
In the film Robin Williams plays Peter Pan, but he's not a boy in Never-Neverland, he's all grown up. He's now Peter Banning-an overweight, middle-aged, hot-shot M&A attorney-and he's forgotten his own identity of the kid who used to fight Captain Hook.
Williams' grown-up character is attached to his cellphone. He's constantly discussing deals. He hardly pays attention to his own children-Maggie and Jack. The movie opens with him getting distracted at his daughter's school play and missing his son's baseball game.
It's close to Christmas, so the Banning family flies to London to visit Great Grandma Wendy Darling, the grandmother of Banning's wife Moira. Banning hasn't visited Wendy in ten years.
Hook screencap
Banning lashes out.
"Will everyone just shut up! And leave me alone for one moment?! Moira, get them out of here, will you? I'm on the phone call of my life!
Wendy later asks Peter about his job.
"I am still in mergers & acquisitions...," he began to explain.
His son Jack interrupted, "Any resistance, and he blows them out of the water!"
"So, Peter, you've become a pirate," Wendy said.
Hook screencap
That night, Banning, his wife and Wendy attend a ceremony. When they return home, they discover that the children have been kidnapped by Captain Hook.
Banning, who is still in denial about his Peter Pan identity, is forced to go back to Neverland by Tinkerbell (played by a tiny Julia Roberts).
When Banning arrives on the Jolly Roger - Captain Hook's ship - he's confident that as a powerful corporate attorney he can just bring his kids home.
"Hook, you let those kids out of that net in less than one minute or you better get an attorney and hope to God he's better than me," Banning said.
"Who are you?" Hook said.
"I'm Peter Banning, Attorney at Law, these are my children and I want them back."
At one point, Bannings tries to write a check to get his kids back.
Hook is surprised and disappointed that Peter Pan has grown up - he doesn't want to fight a lawyer, he wants to fight The Pan. Hook demands that Banning fly and free his children but Banning couldn't.
Over the next three days, Banning meets up with the Lost Boys, a group of orphaned kids now lead by Rufio.
"I want to speak to a grown up!" Banning demands
"All grown-ups are pirates. We kill pirates," Rufio replied.
"I'm not a pirate. It so happens that I am a lawyer."
"Kill the lawyer!"
"I'm not that kind of lawyer."
Hook screencap
Within three days, he's able to fly, fight and "crow" - like the Lost Boys do - and he's once again sporting Peter Pan's signature green tights.
He returns to the Jolly Roger to retrieve his children, and reveals that his "happy thought" was his son, Jack.
A battle between the pirates and the Lost Boys ensues. Hook faces off with Rufio and stabs him.
Before he dies, Rufio tells Banning, "You know what I wish? I wish I had a dad like you."
Hook is ultimately defeated. Banning and his kids fly back to London.
At the end, Banning tosses his cellphone out the window into the snow.
The moral of the story is simple-No matter how high-flying your career might be, family always comes first.
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market