Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
The “disastrous” 1987 movie Michael Caine wants you to know wasn’t his fault: “I get the blame”
Michael Caine has long borne the blame for the critical failure of 1987's "Jaws: The Revenge", despite having minimal involvement in the film. Caine, fresh from winning an Academy Award for "Hannah and Her Sisters", became the convenient scapegoat for an widely-panned film when he possessed limited agency over its production and direction. His status as a major star meant audiences and critics naturally directed their criticism towards the biggest name attached to the project.
In reality, Caine's role in the film was minimal: he appears for approximately ten minutes of the 90-minute runtime—essentially a cameo performance. He accepted the role for £1 million in exchange for ten days of work filmed in Nassau, the Bahamas. After enduring twenty years of criticism, Caine spoke out in 2008, pointedly noting he neither wrote, directed, photographed, nor produced the film, nor played any leading parts. He explained that he took the job for the financial opportunity, which allowed him to purchase his mother a house—a detail that has become the film's most memorable legacy.
In short
- Caine blamed unfairly for 1987 film "Jaws: The Revenge" despite ten-minute cameo role
- Took job for £1 million for ten days' work in the Bahamas to buy mother a house
- Defended himself in 2008 after twenty years of bearing undeserved criticism
Explained simply
Jaws: The Revenge is the fourth film in the Jaws series, which began with a 1975 thriller about a great white shark threatening a seaside town. The 1987 instalment follows the Brody family, with Michael Caine playing a pilot who helps one of them.
Caine was already a celebrated actor, having recently won an Oscar for Hannah and Her Sisters. He had a small role in the film and worked for ten days in the Bahamas. The film’s reception became closely associated with its most famous cast member, making Caine’s connection to it a lasting talking point.