Julia Roberts: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

And 5 That Sucked...

5. Tinkerbell - Hook (1991)

It may seem somewhat mean to stick the knife in the otherwise excellent (if a little silly) reimagining of the Peter Pan legend, especially given the other inferior adaptations that exist (and the even odder news that the next version for some reason included Black Beard,) but in a very, very sweet film, Roberts' performance as Tinkerbell is the only thing that just about steps over into sickliness. It's a good play on the character to see her infatuated with Peter (as a natural extrapolation of her envy of Wendy in the Disney cartoon,) and the sequence in which she magics herself big and confesses to Peter is a very good one. It's just that it's one of the only successful scenes for Tinkerbell in the entire film. If you're over-familiar with the film (as a lot of fans should be, since it demands over-watching,) there's a good chance you will agree that Tinkerbell is excruciating to watch. As Peter finds his feet (or the wings beneath them, more appropriately,) Tinkerbell's jingoistic encouragement is enough to inspire squirms, and even with Robin Williams alongside her, it is Roberts' performance that is the most needlessly cartoonish for the most part.