Grade: (A-)
For me this one is a timeless classic with a pre-Oscar era Hanks delivering his classic brand of 80’s comedy with a truly one of a kind co-star in an adventure that gives you a little bit of everything.
Tom Hanks stars in this classic from the 80’s as a necrotic detective working in a small coastal town where nothing really ever happens. Until one night when an old man he knows down on the docks turns up murdered leaving behind a massive dog named Hooch. With nowhere else to go the detective will take the dog home and soon he begins to realize the dog may actually be able to help him solve the murder.
There were many classic films pumped out in the 1980’s and there is no doubt this is one of them. Hanks delivers a heart warming performance and shows unbelievable chemistry with his four legged co-star. The laughs between them are endless as the obsessive compulsive life Hanks’ character lives collides with the messy life of not only a dog, but one the size of the massive Hooch. Hanks’ outbursts and reactions to the things Hooch does are hilarious and no matter how many times you see them, they never fail to deliver laughter.
You can really feel the frustration, rage, bewilderment and love between Hanks and Hooch and as the story-line progresses it’s nice to see their relationship do so as well. There was no doubt that Hanks truly embraced this role that helped springboard his early career with a strong run of films in the late 80’s. This films delivers on all the intended emotions from comical to dramatic, to suspenseful and even heart-warming at times.
The script also moves with a nice pace and gives nice even amounts of comedy between Hanks/Hooch as well as developing the course of the murder investigation. With a couple strong plots moving alongside one another this film results in being a surprisingly enthralling tale regardless of some of its implausibility.
The detail in the story was not the point of this one, the focus was Tom Hanks and his scenes with Hooch which without a doubt they all deliver the intended entertainment. The fun-enough story only adds to the overall package of this one.
Most people can familiarize Tom Hanks with his more emotionally charged top-tier roles of recent years but back in the 80’s he made a collection of comedies that still hold their value all these years later. For anyone who hasn’t seen this film, do so and enjoy the laughter. Sure this one is not excellent but it’s fun enough to sit back and enjoy one of Hollywood’s most talented actors in his early years.