My Movie Review on Turner and Hooch · 4:44pm Apr 23rd, 2021
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna be giving you guys my take of "Turner and Hooch". The film from 1989 that stars Tom Hanks to be precise.
Here's the rundown of it:
Scott Turner is a police investigator who resides in the small town of Cypress Beach, California. Despite having many great friends, Scott has spent much of his life by himself and is quite a clean freak. Having also become bored with the lack of serious crimes happening in his hometown, he plans on transferring to Sacramento in order to make it big, handing his duties to fellow investigator David Sutton in the process.
However, when one of Scott's friends, Amos Reed, is mysteriously murdered one night, he decides to go on the case. Despite there being no witnesses, Scott realizes that there is someone who could track down and identify Amos's killer: Hooch. A dog owned by Amos who has an openly fierce and rebellious streak and whom Scott will have to take care of for the time being.
Can Scott and Hooch track down Amos's killer? Or will the duo ultimately prove that they can't work or live together at all?
This movie was something that I pretty much had in mind to make a review of for quite a while. When I saw it for the first time long ago, no constructive thoughts formed in my head because I was only watching it to be entertained. Afterwards, though, I was interested in giving "Turner and Hooch" a second look someday, and I thought that would be when I'd make an analysis of it. And I was right.
So, what do I personally think of this movie?
Well, as with most movies I've reviewed that were made in the 1980s or 1990s, the one thing I didn't enjoy was the cuss words the movie had, an example being a certain synonym for donkey. It's not just due to my personal dislike for cussing, though...there were some words in the film that openly made me question whether a PG rating was appropriate. As a matter of fact, I couldn't help but wonder why the movie wasn't rated PG-13 instead, not only because of those certain words but due to there being some pretty intense moments of violence too.
Other than that...this movie was as fun to watch as the first time I saw it!
For instance, the direction by Roger Spottiswoode, the story by Dennis Shyrack, Michael Blodgett, and Daniel Petrie Jr., and the screenplay by them, Jim Cast, and Jack Epps Jr., were all marvelously well-done.
Every joke that the film contained was excellently executed, and there was an innocent quality to the comedy that made it all-the-more entertaining. There was hardly a moment that didn't make me laugh, that's for sure. The scenes where Scott often had to deal with Hooch's rebelliousness and the messes he made were situations that were not only comical in the best way but very relatable, as I myself have had to deal with certain mishaps revolving around my own pets many times before.
In addition to this, the film wasn't without emotion and heart. The developing bond between Scott and Hooch was a truly heartwarming element, and it felt like a genuine homage to loving relationships between pets and pet owners. The growing romance between Scott and Dr. Emily Carson was fun too.
The acting, casting, characters, and character development were awesome as well.
I really can't deny it, Tom Hanks was terrific in the role of Scott Turner. He portrayed his character with outstanding commitment and passion, and the comedic-timings he provided throughout the film were hysterical. I was also amazed by the fact that he boldly did things like take a bite out of a doggie treat, because it showed that he wasn't afraid of embarrassing himself and was willing to try anything. Likewise, Scott himself had awesome development throughout the film, and every moment with him was deeply enjoyable. In fact, there were times where I couldn't help but see some of myself in him, mainly in that we're both clean freaks, try to keep things neat and in order, and have our emotional issues.
The character of Hooch (portrayed much of the time by a real dog named Beasley) was likewise a lovable presence. Whenever he was on the screen, I'd note that he showed himself to be an animal with personality and feelings, and there was a phenomenal sense of development in the character that helped Hooch be three-dimensional for a dog that doesn't talk.
The rest of the cast and characters were marvelous, if I may add.
Whenever the other cast members were sharing scenes with Hanks, I could tell that they were having a lot of fun working with him as he was in character. They certainly weren't afraid of really throwing themselves into their parts either, because each performer portrayed their characters so well that they gave them an instant sense of personality and three-dimensionalism. As a little word of interest, I'd like to note that Craig T. Nelson (the guy who played Mr. Incredible in "The Incredibles" films) portrayed Chief Howard Hyde in this movie.
In conclusion, "Turner and Hooch" certainly isn't flawless. But, everything about the movie is so gosh darn fun that it's totally worth the watch. Everything about it provided a rollicking good time.
So, I rate "Turner and Hooch" 4½ out of 5 stars.
Where did you find this film? Because I'm now intrigued enough to view it personally.
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I watched it via Disney+.
There may be other ways to see it, though. Mainly for if you don't have the service.
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I actually do have it.
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Lovely.
In that case, you’ll find the film on the service.