Why does Hollywood insist on pitching two movies against each other, despite the plots being remarkably similar? Remember "Dante's Peak" going up against "Volcano" or how about "Antz" taking on "A Bug's Life"? Well, here is the natural opponent to "Turner & Hooch" except that there are one or two other issues to contend with. First of all, Tom Hanks has been replaced with James Belushi, the ugly dog is now a much-more photogenic German Shepard and the laughs have nearly all dried up - not that "Turner & Hooch" had many to begin with.
Belushi plays hot-shot cop Dooley, obsessed with bringing down suspected crime boss Lyman (Kevin Tighe) to such a point that his girlfriend Tracy (Mel Harris) is considering kicking him out of her apartment. Determined to bring Lyman down, Dooley finds himself partnered with Jerry Lee, an eccentric police dog with a strong sense of personality. Unfortunately, Jerry Lee has a far greater impact on Dooley's personal life and before long, Lyman has gained the upper hand. Can Dooley and Jerry Lee overcome their differences and bring him down or will Lyman have the last laugh?
Given that Belushi spends, I guess, maybe 70% of this movie talking to a dog, your enjoyment of "K-9" will largely depend on how funny you find Belushi. Personally, he's just about as unfunny as Hanks was in "Turner & Hooch" but like "Turner & Hooch", the dog is the true star. He has the best scenes and gets the most laughs but the film-makers make the same mistake of making the dog act like a human - no dog I've ever met covers their face with embarrassment! The other let-down is the plot which is not only predictable but also so closely matches "Turner & Hooch" that I'm surprised there wasn't a law-suit. It's a fact that this was released a few short months before "Turner & Hooch" but it feels like an odd kiddie's film - having the whole drug-plot run alongside the comic chaos of an out-of-control dog working with an unconventional cop felt like a difficult marriage, especially when played for laughs as it is here.
It's never easy to compare two films so closely matched together but I'm afraid that "K-9" comes off a close second to "Turner & Hooch". It's not as funny, the dog doesn't appeal in the same way as the mutt in the other film and Belushi is a poor man's Hanks. It can't decide whether it wants to be a serious cop story or a straight-up comedy with a angry dog wrecking havoc but in the end, it became neither. The only real difference between the two is that the love interest in "K-9" is much hotter and there is no cop partner for Belushi to spark off, meaning he spends most of the film talking to a dog. And if that's what you want to spend 100-ish minutes watching then this is the film for you. Personally, I can't recommend it so for my money, the whole "cop-with-a-dog" sub-genre should be put to rest for a long time to come. Here's hoping.
Belushi plays hot-shot cop Dooley, obsessed with bringing down suspected crime boss Lyman (Kevin Tighe) to such a point that his girlfriend Tracy (Mel Harris) is considering kicking him out of her apartment. Determined to bring Lyman down, Dooley finds himself partnered with Jerry Lee, an eccentric police dog with a strong sense of personality. Unfortunately, Jerry Lee has a far greater impact on Dooley's personal life and before long, Lyman has gained the upper hand. Can Dooley and Jerry Lee overcome their differences and bring him down or will Lyman have the last laugh?
Given that Belushi spends, I guess, maybe 70% of this movie talking to a dog, your enjoyment of "K-9" will largely depend on how funny you find Belushi. Personally, he's just about as unfunny as Hanks was in "Turner & Hooch" but like "Turner & Hooch", the dog is the true star. He has the best scenes and gets the most laughs but the film-makers make the same mistake of making the dog act like a human - no dog I've ever met covers their face with embarrassment! The other let-down is the plot which is not only predictable but also so closely matches "Turner & Hooch" that I'm surprised there wasn't a law-suit. It's a fact that this was released a few short months before "Turner & Hooch" but it feels like an odd kiddie's film - having the whole drug-plot run alongside the comic chaos of an out-of-control dog working with an unconventional cop felt like a difficult marriage, especially when played for laughs as it is here.
It's never easy to compare two films so closely matched together but I'm afraid that "K-9" comes off a close second to "Turner & Hooch". It's not as funny, the dog doesn't appeal in the same way as the mutt in the other film and Belushi is a poor man's Hanks. It can't decide whether it wants to be a serious cop story or a straight-up comedy with a angry dog wrecking havoc but in the end, it became neither. The only real difference between the two is that the love interest in "K-9" is much hotter and there is no cop partner for Belushi to spark off, meaning he spends most of the film talking to a dog. And if that's what you want to spend 100-ish minutes watching then this is the film for you. Personally, I can't recommend it so for my money, the whole "cop-with-a-dog" sub-genre should be put to rest for a long time to come. Here's hoping.