Ethan Hawke And Gwyneth Paltrow's Underrated '90s Drama Is A Hidden Gem On Prime Video

Part of a wave of films derived from classic books that poured out of Hollywood in the '90s, 1998's "Great Expectations" had the firepower of Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow behind it, but it somehow flew under the radar, becoming an underrated gem. If you're in the mood for a dreamy-eyed romantic drama, you can stream this Alfonso Cuarón-directed picture right now on Prime Video.

The penultimate novel from Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations" is a beloved book with multiple adaptations. Cuarón's film takes a different approach, shifting the action from 1800s England to modern-day America. The protagonist (whose name was changed from Philip "Pip" Pirrip to Finnegan "Finn" Bell) has his heart set on becoming an artist rather than a gentleman. 10-year-old Finn (Jeremy James Kissner) is taken to a derelict Florida mansion called Paradiso Perduto by his guardian, Joe (Chris Cooper). The estate belongs to the wildly eccentric Nora Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft). At Nora's behest, Finn becomes a paid playmate for her niece, the snobby Estella (Raquel Beaudene).

As they grow, Estella (now Paltrow) alternates between flirting with Finn (now Hawke) and freezing him out. One day, she takes off to Europe without telling him, cutting off contact and breaking his heart. Years later, Finn is offered a gallery showing in New York City. He's taken by surprise as he hasn't drawn since losing Estella, but Finn heads to town and starts sketching again. Estella reappears and begins charming him, but he learns she already has a boyfriend named Walter (Hank Azaria). Despite being wary of Estella's vacillating ways, sparks fly and drama ensues.

While it might be a buried treasure these days, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke have no trouble unearthing memories of shooting "Great Expectations." Reconvening for Vanity Fair's "Reunited" series, which brings former co-stars back together to discuss projects of yesteryear, the actors spoke about how their camaraderie made it a weird and wonderful experience. "We were already friends, and it was strange for both of us, to be honest," Hawke said. Paltrow added, "I was really excited because I had never worked with a friend." Things got a little awkward when Alfonso Cuarón suggested a steamy scene between Finn and Estella.

While their characters do have sex in the final cut of the movie, the scene is nowhere near as explicit has the director envisioned. According to Hawke, Cuarón told Paltrow, "The camera is going to go down your belly, and then it's going to go up your breasts, and then it's going to go in your face as you reach ecstasy. And then when you reach ecstasy, the light will explode like to the sun!" Paltrow was not on board with the idea, and not just because she and Hawke were buddies. While she "wouldn't care" these days, the actress and entrepreneur said that she was "really self-conscious about my dad and grandfather seeing this kind of stuff" back then.

While Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke will never forget working on the film due to their friendship, a likely factor in the disappearance of "Great Expectations" from everyone else's minds is that it had the misfortune of going up against "Titanic." Despite industry chatter that it was on course to become a bomb due to its ballooning budget, the James Cameron movie was a juggernaut at the box office, becoming the first picture ever to surpass the billion dollar threshold. "Great Expectations" simply couldn't compete, despite being released three weeks later.

When "Great Expectations" hit cineplexes on January 30, 1998, "Titanic" was still going strong. Alfonso Cuarón's film opened in second place behind Cameron's blockbuster and it had fallen out of the top 10 by the weekend of February 20 ("Titanic" was still topping the charts at that point and would remain in pole position until the weekend of April 3). Having to compete with the highest grossing movie of the '90s killed off any chance that "Great Expectations" had of real success. It ultimately made $55 million against an estimated budget of $25 million, so, when you take marketing and other associated costs into consideration, it was a letdown for 20th Century Fox.

"Great Expectations" split critical opinion when it came out, but people have started to look back at the movie favorably in recent years. Loud and Clear Reviews called it "a lush, underrated adaptation worth rediscovering," while Talk Film Society praised "the music, a vastly underrated Ethan Hawke performance, and the use of the color green." If you're a Prime Video subscriber, why not watch the film and judge for yourself?