Review of Turner & Hooch (1989) by Matthew S — 22 Nov 2009
Run-of-the-mill, but entertaining comedy finds Tom Hanks ("Splash") as Det. Scott Turner investigating the murder of a friend. With no witnesses, Turner finds himself caring the victim's guard dog, Hooch as the only hope of identifying the suspects.
Naturally, Hanks is a clean freak. Also naturally, Hooch is the messy, slimy, drooling dog from Hell. Thankfully, tight direction and Tom Hank's charm keeps the movie from going downhill. Things get a tad heavy handed towards the end, but the lighthearted fare between man vs. beast keeps things humorous. Mare Winningham ("Intruders") plays a vet and love interest for Hanks.
Like Hank's prior film "Big", the film spawned a slew of terrible copies including "K-9" with James Belushi (and it's sequel, "K-911") and later, "Top Dog" with Chuck Norris. It seemed like in the late 80's, Hollywood was shelling out busloads of films that cashed in on the success of Hanks's hits, the way disaster movies these days are followed by 10 other less successful ones. It's retro feel takes back to a time that younger audiences aren't aware of, that Hanks was strictly a comedic actor. It would be nice to seem him tackle comedies again.
Supporting players include Craig T. Nelson ("Poltergeist") as Turner's boss and Reginald VelJohnson ("Die Hard") as his partner. It seems VelJohnson was just the 1980's go-to guy when it came to playing cops, something he's done in everything from this film, to "Die Hard", to "Ghostbusters" and eventually TV's "Family Matters". Where he's been in recent years is beyond me.
It won't knock your socks off, but it's an entertaining late 80's gem.
This review of Turner & Hooch (1989) was written by Matthew S on 22 Nov 2009.
Turner & Hooch has generally received mixed reviews.
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