Turner & Hooch

It's not a great film but it ain't no dog, either.

"Turner and Hooch" does its own take on the cop-buddy genre of films. In few others, though, did one of the buddies ever have as severe a drooling problem as Hooch.

Hanks, in one of his last few comedy roles before aiming strictly for Oscar-calibre movies, is perfection as a neat freak cop teamed with a pooch that would be a calamity no matter whom he was with. When this dog marks his territory, the whole neighborhood notices.

If there's only one problem I had, it was the ending. I won't say anything about it, for the uninitiated, but all I will say is I wish it would have ended differently.

But besides Hanks and hound, there are other good parts, such as the observances of the unique characters in the town, the extent of damage a mastiff can do, and what kind of a cop carries a Dustbuster in his car. Oh, and the Lancelot Link discussion.

Seven stars. And if you ever own a mastiff, get thick doors.

TURNER AND HOOCH teams Tom Hanks with an unlikely murder witness: a slobbering junkyard dog named Hooch. This is an okay film for another one of Hanks's underachievers, and is actually an entertaining one to watch. It's not the dog that K-9 was. The story here is much better, the chemistry is much stronger and the movie doesn't try as hard. Certainly Hanks's most underrated film, and highly recommended for people with pets in their home.

3 out of 5

I enjoy rewatching this movie every couple of years. It's similar to the K-9 movies w/James Belushi.

Still entertains & my dog also likes watching or staring at this, (& the K9 movies too) : D

I figure he rates them all as about 9 stars, but I give this a 7.

I would give it a 9, bc even tho I like Mare Winningham, I simply thought she was miscast here.

I'm kind of surprised the imdb rating is only 6.2, but I guess that's bc it's an old movie and these kinds of sites were only just getting started back then.

I also think a sequel is over due & would be fun with Hanks & maybe one of Hooches heirs?

Tom Hanks stars in this comedy about an obssesively neat small town detective who teams up with the only witness to a friend's murder - the victim's slobber-happy dog. This is a cute film with many gags between Hanks and the dog. The entire sequence trying to get Hooch to take a bath is quite funny. The film moves at a quick pace and is better written than a similar film such as K-9, with Jim Belushi. Craig T. Nelson co-stars.

Tom Hanks is an obsessive-compulsive cop who takes in a filthy, slobbish French Mastiff when it's the only witness to a murder. Basically The Odd Couple with a dog. It's predictable and formulaic to the bone, but hits a strange nerve that allows us to overlook its shortcomings and appreciate the sweetness of the ride. Hanks is largely to thank for that, at the top of his game very early in his dramatic career. Though a few not-so-surprising supporting actors pop in from time to time, (Reginald VelJohnson as a policeman? What a shock!) it's almost entirely a one-man show that sails beyond expectations on the merits of his lone performance. In fact, the closest competition is Beasley the dog, who's absurdly emotive and personable throughout the film. He and Hanks make for a great team, as silly as that might sound, and it's easy to tell that a lot of their best scenes were ad-libs that miraculously avoided the cutting room floor. Funny, bittersweet movie magic that really has no business being as entertaining as it is.