Starring: Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Reginald VelJohnson

Directed By: Roger Spottiswoode

Recently, Turner and Hooch turned 25. That’s right. It’s been 25 years since Tom Hanks used to do movies where his co-star was a dog. This is before he ever dreamed of doing Philadelphia or Forrest Gump. Spottiswoode couldn’t make it as a 90’s director. After he did Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot, he seemed to basically disappear.

I remember seeing Turner and Hooch as a kid, and as I was watching this, some parts of it came back to me. I had forgotten that Hanks had a love interest in Mare Winningham, or that the dad from Family Matters was in this film. But I remembered who the villain was, and now as an adult, I have to say that Hanks connects the dots super fast. There really isn’t much evidence, so Hanks works entirely off of a gut instinct.

Turner and Hooch isn’t bad 25 years later. It’s not terribly dated. It’s just that the cell phones are a little large… and no one can use the internet. Hanks carries the film, and it certainly is a non-offensive comedy film. It’s perfect for the whole family, even if there is some mild violence.

I might even like the movie more now as an adult than I did as a kid. I remember thinking the movie was OK as a kid… I was 5 in 1988, so I don’t know how old I was when I saw this for the first time, but I probably wasn’t much older. Nowadays, this would be a slapstick movie, but this isn’t really dumbed down just because it has a dog in it. I appreciate that this film was made so that adults could enjoy it, instead of making it some farce that only kids can laugh at.

I just hope I don’t wait another 25 years to have another reason to watch Turner and Hooch again.

FINAL GRADE: B+