Tom und Huck

Tom and Huck isn't a great movie, but it's a good way for kids to be introduced to the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Although it may be a bit intense for children under six, since the plot revolves around a murderer and his plot for revenge. And even though this movie is set in the 1840s, it has a strong 90s feel to it. Whatever happened to Jonathan Taylor Thomas?

Tom Sawyer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) runs away and is rescued by Huck Finn (Brad Renfro). They see Injun Joe and Muff Potter digging up the grave of Vic 'One-Eyed' Murrell to retrieve a treasure map for Doctor Robinson. Injun Joe murders Doc Robinson with Muff's knife. Muff is arrested for the murder. Tom is torn between an oath to Huck and his need to exonerate an innocent man.

The production looks weak. This Disney doesn't have the needed edge and doesn't even have Disney money. The story has too many killings to be a kiddie movie. The movie doesn't have the grittiness to feel real. Jonathan Taylor Thomas used to be a thing back in the day. He's cute with a twinkle in his eye. I don't lay too much on him. He just doesn't have the toughness unlike Brad Renfro. Rachael Leigh Cook is a cutie in this one. This movie's tone is all over the place.

The story was ok, but at some point I have to say that it's allday racism of the 18xx against natives. Natives allways have to be the bad counterpart in such a story. Even black people weren't in a fix like natives. So the story might have been good for the times Mark Twain wrote them - and I rely on the studios correctness to not change the story from Mark Twain too much. I also have too admit that I never read any book of Mark Twain. But if the story goes other way, shame on the studio. Both options are bad, so I won't change my mind about my rating. Offside the racism through native stereotypes, it is a nice movie for kids, not more. I wouldn't show it to kids without teaching them about stereotypes against natives.

This version of the classic novel by Mark Twain makes a nice little movie, but fails to capture the humorous spirit of the book. Many hilarious scenes are missing and the writers have taken too many liberties with the plot.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas is wonderful as Tom Sawyer. Unfortunately his charm does not last until the very end of the movie, but seems to fade after a while. It might possibly have something to do with the fact, that, even though this movie is based on "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer", it's actually Huck's character that steals the whole show.

I had a bit of a problem with the way Huck Finn was portrayed in this movie. Of course Brad Renfro is a fantastic actor (his performance is probably the best thing about this film) and he manages to give Huck Finn many tragic and deep aspects. Unfortunately Mark Twain's Huck Finn is neither tragic or very deep. One can only wonder why Huck has been made the brooding hero, when it's actually Tom Sawyer, who is supposed to be the brightest star in this story.

Despite the many sugar-coated scenes and the fact that both Tom and Huck are a bit out-of-character, this movie is still something worth seeing. Injun Joe and Muff Potter are both realistic and Rachael Leigh Cook makes a brilliant and not-so-girly Becky Thatcher! The sets and wardrobe look very authentic, but they alone are not enough to bring the evergreen story wholly alive.

A mischievous young boy, Tom Sawyer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas),witnesses a murder by the deadly Injun Joe. Tom becomes friends with Huckleberry Finn (Brad Renfro), a boy with no future and no family.

Going through the Top 250 lists from various years, somehow this ended up on the list for 1996. Of all the lists from 1996 through 2014, this first list is the most bizarre. Others have films that clearly do not belong, but none more than the 1996 list. And this is a prime example. How did a film that barely ranks above 5 out of 10 manage to be considered one of the best of all time? Not that this is a bad film. As far as kid stories go, it is alright, and not the worst introduction to the world of Mark Twain. But it is clearly not intended to be a masterpiece, but more like something one might see on the Hallmark channel. Just a showcase for the now-forgotten Jonathan Taylor Thomas.