My very first memory of moving to the South Bay as a child with my mom after leaving my drug addict father back in San Diego was her taking us all to the Hawthorne Mall so that she, my siblings and I could all see Hook together as a family. It was just supposed to be a fun filled afternoon filled with laughs and shit but it turned out that this movie was about a father preoccupied with his job who never had enough time to spend with his kids. Needless to say that I could relate. This movie filled me with blind hope when I was a child that one day my own father would see the errors in his ways and decide to stand up and take responsibility for his own kids. That never happened. Don't get me wrong. I love my dad and have now come to understand the sadness that life has brought to him now that he's no longer a part of our lives but damn. I learned a really rough lesson very early in life about relying on other people. I have this movie to thank for that. It may not have been the message of the movie but it was definitely a turning point in my life. Robin Williams will be missed. What he did best was throw me into a fantasy that I'd wish was real. He sold the lie of cinema so gracefully and believably. I can't think of any other actors who could do that and still seem so honest. My heart is broken over the loss of such a fantastic person who taught me, at such a young age, how to take a damn joke. Rest in peace, Robin.
