Hooper (1978) User Reviews

Burt at the top of his game

[jrs-8 · 7/10 · 3 August 2004]

"Hooper" is yet another example of Burt Reynolds at the top of his game. Burt was a superstar who enjoyed making these action comedies for the summer drive-in crowd. The films usually made bundles of money and were usually pretty enjoyable. "Hooper" is one of Burt's better comedies of the 70's. He plays the title character, an aging Hollywood stuntman looking to make that last great stunt for the money and retire before his body gives out on him and serious damage occurs. Sally Field yet again plays Burt's girlfriend and, yet again, isn't given a whole lot to do. Jan Michael Vincent plays the new, young, hot shot stuntman that worries Burt. Brian Keith has a nice turn as Sally's father who happens to be a veteran stuntman himself.

The characters are not the important thing though. You go to see "Hooper" to laugh and enjoy the action scenes. The filmmakers deliver the goods on both counts. One standout scene involves a bar fight involving such tough guys as Terry Bradshaw. Burt confronts Terry one on one and it's the comic highlight of the film. The stunts are sensational and the final stunt is, thematically, totally ridiculous. But it's so well filmed we forgive the obvious silliness.

"Hooper" is a fun film to watch but make sure to see it uncut. It seems that many of Burt's PG-rated movies of the 70's stretched the limits to get as close to the R-rating as possible without going over the line. "Hooper" is no exception.

Simple but slick stunt-man flick.

[barnabyrudge · 6/10 · 27 July 2006]

Following the success of the 1977 film "Smokey And The Bandit" Burt Reynolds was, for a short time at any rate, the world's no.1 box-office star. Alas, like so many actors who get to the top Burt soon found himself losing his mantle as he stumbled from one lousy picture to another. Part of the problem was that Reynolds formed a long-running partnership with stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham, a union that yielded too many bad movies. In total, the two men worked together six times. A chronological list of their films together would run like this: "Smokey And The Bandit", "Hooper", "Smokey And The Bandit II", "The Cannonball Run", "Cannonball Run II", and "Stroker Ace". Of this sequence, only the first two are really worthy of praise. The others are generally rather poor movies which met with considerable negativity from the critics and did little to enhance the star's popularity with the public. "Hooper" was released in 1978 and, as noted, was the second of the Reynolds-Needham collaborations. It is a simple but very slick story set in the world of testosterone-fuelled Hollywood stuntmen, and is perhaps the best of Reynolds' late '70s/early '80s films.

Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is a middle-aged Hollywood stuntman. He leads a freewheeling lifestyle with his girlfriend Gwen (Sally Field) and her father Jocko (Brian Keith), who was himself once a leading stuntman and is something of a father figure for Sonny. Sonny begins to feel the heat when a young new stuntman named Ski (Jan Michael Vincent) appears on the scene and threatens to take his mantle as the bravest performer in the business. Believing that he has never proved his greatness - neither to himself, his girlfriend, his companions nor the younger generation of the profession – Sonny decides to pull off one final stunt so dangerous and outrageous that it will cement his place in legend. Film-maker Roger Deal (Robert Klein) offers Sonny just the stunt he is looking for. Deal is busy making a James Bond style adventure movie and needs two fearless drivers to perform a record-breaking 325 feet leap across a collapsed bridge in a jet-fuelled sports car. Sonny and Ski agree to do the jump, even though everyone close to them urges them to turn it down as the odds of performing it successfully seem almost impossible.

"Hooper" is admittedly a light film with a story that demands little of the viewer, but on its own terms it is an enjoyable and involving film. The performances are surprisingly strong and nuanced for a film set in the world of macho stunt performers. Reynolds appears brash on the surface but elicits genuine humanity in the scenes where he torments himself over the daredevil legacy he wants to leave behind. Field is superb as his terrified girlfriend; Vincent shows gung-ho spirit as the youthful pretender; Keith is wonderful as the old-timer who has lived long enough in the business to appreciate the value of survival; and Klein gives the best performance in the entire film as the single-minded director willing to risk the lives of his stunt team in order to shoot the greatest action sequence ever filmed. The film is punctuated with several impressive action sequences, and climaxes with the jet car leap around which the story is based. This closing sequence is brilliantly put together – with real suspense generated about whether the drivers will or will not survive their attempt. As brash, brainless and brawny as it is, "Hooper" is still a tremendously enjoyable film. Fans of fast cars and sensational stunts will revel in it!

Whenever you feel a little down ....... Just watch "HOOPER"

[merklekranz · 7/10 · 9 February 2010]

"Hooper" is one of the most upbeat films I've ever seen. Everyone in the movie is so positive. The stunt men believe they can do the stunts, the director believes in getting the big shot, and everyone seems to be having a great time. You can't help but be entertained. The chemistry between Burt Reynolds and Sally Field is believable, and some interesting supporting actors make major contributions to the fun. Even Terry Bradshaw and Robert Tessier in the barroom brawl are memorable. So the next time you are feeling a little down, I recommend watching "Hooper" for immediate relief, because everybody loves a good time and a good movie. - MERK

A refreshing Reynolds sleepwalk

[wperkins · 29 May 2003]

You're not going to find a moving story about a man coming to terms with his own mortality here, but from just a look at the cover of the DVD, you probably weren't expecting it. What we have here is a very pleasant diversion that never takes itself too seriously. Just before things start to get a little too sentimental, someone always jumps off a tall building or flips the car he's driving. Overall, the film has a nice pace. The gags (as in slapstick) are occasionally hilarious, and the gags (as in stunts) are outstanding--I believe this film holds the record for longest rocket car jump. And Burt is his usual self, so utterly unself conscious, he can deliver lines like, "If you don't try to do any stunts, I won't try to do any acting." Make of that what you will. ;-)

Just an excuse for lots of great stunts

[jellopuke · 7/10 · 21 September 2018]

Not much of a story but just enough to get by. Lots of stunts including a spectacular ending sequence that delivers enough to make this an enjoyable love letter to stunt men and a solid Burt pic.

This is SO Burt Reynolds/Sally Field

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 6 October 2006]

Well, another funny-profane-interesting-irreverent Burt Reynolds movie of the 1970s. He made so many of these type of films, several with his girlfriend at the time, Sally Field. Almost all of them have the same feel to them.

Field echos Reynolds good looks and bad morals by running around in a tight shirt with her nipples showing and pair of short shorts with a butt sticking out. This is not untypical of the movies in the 1970s, where "freedom" had arrived and many filmmakers abused it. No one had more fun with those low-moral characters than Reynolds (and Fields, I suspect, too).

Yet, I have to admit most of the Reynolds films, including this one, were never boring and usually fun to watch. Being young and a bit immature helped us appreciate these movies back then.

Hot Breath of Competition

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 13 September 2013]

Burt Reynolds is at his rollicking best as devil may care stuntman Hooper who's beginning to feel his age. The hot breath of competition in the person of Jan-Michael Vincent is breathing down his neck. Reynolds prizes the fact that he's the best in the business, but it's a young man game that demands a young man's reflexes.

Brian Keith knows how Reynolds feels, Reynolds dethroned him as number one and Reynolds keeps company with Keith's daughter Sally Field who would dearly love it if both of the men in her life would just get out of that rough business.

Hooper has little plot to it, it's a character study of the people who go into that line of work and a touch of insanity seems to be a needed ingredient for success. The title role is something that fits Reynolds like a made to measure suit

John Marley is in the cast as your stereotypical ulcer ridden producer and Robert Klein has a great part as a truly obnoxious director, one of his early good ones. And of course the stunt work stands out on its own as well as being an integral part of the plot.

Hooper even got an Oscar nomination in the Sound category. A definite must for Burt Reynolds fans.

VIEWS ON FILM review of Hooper

[burlesonjesse5 · 7/10 · 15 May 2014]

Screen legend Burt Reynolds stars as Sonny Hooper in this goofy, harmless 4am cable flick about the trials and tribulations of the world's greatest movie stuntman. Along with Burton (I like to call him that), the other members of the cast have a lot of fun with what appears to be a great deal of improvisation.

Watching this movie you almost get the feeling that during some scenes, I don't think the actors knew that the camera was even rolling. But seriously though, it's okay. When you got Sally Field as Gwen, Sonny's loyal and loving girlfriend who stands by him no matter how dangerous the stunts, current Hollywood burnout Jan Michael Vincent as "Ski," the young and upcoming rookie to the stuntman world who looks to take Sonny's job (not intentionally though), funnyman Robert Klein as the director of the film that Hooper is based upon (it's a movie within a movie of course), and James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane from the TV show Dukes of Hazzard) as Sonny's assistant and friend, the result is a nifty collection of acting misfits. I'm sure after the shooting of Hooper concluded; everybody who worked on this obvious tinsel town nugget probably became best friends. But heck, that's probably the case with any Reynolds's film.

In the end, what you get from Hooper is uninhibited tongue and cheek humor overload mixed with an exciting, sped up, documentary feel. The whole flick concludes with a rocket car rambling through tons of explosions (Reynolds and Vincent are driving) and city wide destruction all for a perfect scene in the movie within a movie. Oh did I mention the big Trans Am (same car) jumping across a 300 foot gorge to get to safety. Oh Hollywood, you never disappoint.

The Classic "Burt Reynolds" movie.

[k_rkeplar · 9/10 · 3 January 2005]

Seems like people either loved or hated old Burt back in the 70s. He was huge. Funny thing about his career was the fact that his early B movies in the 60s were serious little numbers on the whole and he never seemed to get anywhere. Then in a supporting role in Borman's "Deliverance" he exploded on the movie scene like an atomic bomb. Even his longtime fans from his "Gunsmoke" days like myself were stunned. Then, again he seemed to be stalling. Then he did something most of us where not expecting...he went pedal-to-the-metal comedy. Burt Reynolds was funny...very funny. His arrogant demeanor evenly tempered by a twinkle in his eye, he could charm a cornered rattlesnake. His fans were in on the joke the whole time while the others just plain hated him. It was their loss. He would go back to the serious movies after his tenure as the top box office dog, and he would finally get the much deserved respect from the Hollywood Mafia he had earned, but Burt at his best for most of us is still Burt being funny. Hooper, for me is still his best film while at the top. It was his poke in the eye at Hollywood and the crap so many actors have to endure. In a nutshell- Director is an ass, doesn't care about anyone but himself and his movie. Producer has no spine. Writer is treated like hired hand. Certain actors are treated like royalty while the stunt doubles do all the real (and dangerous) work the actors will no doubt get rave reviews for. Hooper's the best because like all the great stuntmen and daredevil types, he's a thrill junkie. Everyone knows he can't turn down a challenge to attempt the next bigger and better stunt. But he's getting old and the pounding his body has taken is catching up. His girlfriend wants him to stop and raise horses with her. Her father was a stuntman and when Hooper was a snot nosed wannabe he hounded the older man until he took him in and became his mentor. Now a new snot nosed wannabe is hounding Hooper. He sees what he's becoming in the old man, now just another Hollywood relic, and he sees what he once was in the new kid, the promise of becoming the best. Brian Kieth as the old man is outstanding. He was an underrated actor his entire career. Jan Michael Vincent is almost as good as the new kid hot on the heels of Hooper's King-of-the-Stuntmen Crown. As with all these Reynolds' comedies in-jokes and silliness abound, and action is top notch. Unlike the others this film also has good dramatic moments. Reynolds was never a great actor, but by the time this film was made he had become a damn good one. Supported by Sally Field and Brian Kieth and Robert Klien and many others, it's one of the best films he has made so far. Ex-NFL great Terry Bradshaw and several other off the wall cameos are peppered throughout. The twinkle never goes away and at the end Burt looks us straight in the eye and throws the final punch just for us. It may not be great "film" but it's great "Movie" making, just plain popcorn munching fun. If you like Burt, this could be the ultimate Burt Reynolds movie. If you like movies about Hollywood or just like to laugh or thrill to fantastic stuntwork this movie is a must.

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's super Hooper!"

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 3 January 2022]

A good comedy action film about Hollywood stuntmen, with Burt Reynolds at his macho best in a good supporting cast surrounding him. Sally Fields really has a little to do as his girlfriend and the daughter of his mentor, aging retired stuntman Brian Keith. Her involvement in the film just has her worried about Burt and Brian throughout the film with a big scene telling Bert that she is going to walk out on him if he does is done that may risk his life. He's basically beyond his prime as a stuntman, and one big fall could either make him a paraplegic or kill him. Along Comes Jan-Michael Vincent no, the new stuntman on the lot, and Burt beomes his mentor.

Keith gives the best performance in the film, really showing that he has what it takes when the boys get into a barroom brawl, and James Best from "The Dukes of Hazard" is equally good. There was also an amazing cameo by Adam West at the beginning of the film, playing himself, the star of the film that Burt is a stuntman on. There are lots of montages of the various stunts that Burt has done, car chases through the backlot sceneries including Westerns where there would not be any modern vehicles.

The final big stump is the highlight of the film, a re-creation of an earthquake that is supposed to topple the city. It's a likable film, consistently entertaining, and better certainly than films Burt starred in like the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" series. This was a smash hit but not what Warner Brothers expected, and perhaps a sign that Hollywood studios shouldn't overestimate what they think a film is going to make and just publicize it to the best of their ability and let the public decide.

Reynolds and Fields together again...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 18 June 2018]

Oddly enough, I didn't get around to watching "Hooper" before now. Well, there is a reason for that; as I haven't actively been seeking out Burt Reynolds movies to watch.

It should be said that they had a good cast in the movie, which included Burt Reynolds, Sally Fields, Jan Michael Vincent and more on the cast list. The actors and actresses did put on good acting performances throughout the movie.

But the story was very mediocre and generic at best, and you never really got drawn into the storyline.

It seemed like a rather half-hearted attempt at putting out another movie with Reynolds and Fields on the billing.

Irresistible.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 8 May 2015]

"Hooper" is a delightful tribute by star Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham - both of whom began their careers as stuntmen - to those brave men and women who risk life and limb for the movies. It remains endearing and upbeat throughout, sometimes getting serious but never melodramatic. It's naturally jam packed with amazing stunt work, and quite a few explosions as well. The cast is completely engaging, and everything is played with a respectable amount of humour.

Burt plays Sonny Hooper, an old pro stuntman who realizes that a new day is coming, and that a new breed is emerging: younger, tougher, more daring. A prime example is up and comer "Ski" (Jan-Michael Vincent), who comes to work on the same movie that Sonny is currently gaffing. It's Ski who encourages Sonny to try one of the riskiest car stunts ever filmed.

"Hooper" has just enough story to be involving, and one can't help but like these characters. Burt is charming, with an incredibly foxy Sally Field playing Gwen, the girlfriend who stands by him. Vincent is very likable, as are the supporting performers such as Brian Keith, John Marley, James Best, Adam West (in what is really a nothing role, as the actor for whom Sonny doubles), George Furth, Don 'Red' Barry, Robert Tessier, and Tara Buckman. Comedian Robert Klein is good as Roger Deal, the jerk director of the movie-within-the-movie, who cares not for going over budget or risking lives as long as he gets his shots.

Burt has a great moment right at the end as he acknowledges us in the audience before providing us with an appropriate and satisfying punchline.

Eight out of 10.

HOOPER (Hal Needham, 1978) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 18 April 2007]

A lightweight look at 'the life of a Hollywood stuntman' (as the song featured on the soundtrack would have it) directed by a former stunt co-ordinator. Likable and fun - it comes up with plenty of amusing situations (and, naturally, dangerous stunts) throughout - but, ultimately, it's pretty forgettable; certainly not up to the level of the more significant (and relatively more serious) THE STUNT MAN (1980). Still, it takes care to deal with the bodily harm long exposure to this kind of work puts on an individual, as well as the strain on personal relationships; the film also pays sentimental tribute to ageing exponents of this short-term field (in the persona of Brian Keith).

Lead Burt Reynolds is his usual mischievous, if limited, self; at one point, he shows hotshot newcomer Jan-Michael Vincent highlights from his past work - including scenes from John Boorman's DELIVERANCE (1972), an earlier Warner Bros. production which had co-starred Reynolds! The supporting cast includes Sally Fields as Reynolds' current girlfriend (and Keith's daughter), John Marley as a sympathetic film producer, James Best as Reynolds' sidekick, Adam West as the film star whom Reynolds' character usually doubles for - and, best of all, Robert Klein as Roger Deal, an egomaniacal film director who will stop at nothing for the sake of putting his "artistic" vision on the screen (a character reportedly based on Peter Bogdanovich, with whom Reynolds had worked on NICKELODEON [1976]!).

Burt's worst

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 25 February 2001]

"Smokey And The Bandit" wasn't exactly Shakespeare, but then nobody wanted it to be. It was lowdown slapstick, but it did have a smart script with definable characters and a fun wrap-up; people came out of the theater smiling. "Hooper", an alleged tribute to the Hollywood Stuntman, provides no smiles. It also makes stuntmen look awfully lazy by involving them in nothing but badly-choreographed fight scenes and one of the most unconvincing car-jumps I've ever seen. It all looks phony, poorly-filmed almost on purpose. Burt Reynolds winks at the camera like a kid at camp, signaling to us that it's all a josh, while Sally Field (as the proverbial girlfriend who wrings her hands on the sidelines) has not a single funny line. "If you do that jump," Field tells Reynolds, "I won't be here when you get back." Smart audiences will join her. * from ****

A joyous tour-de-force

[schwammy · 8 July 2003]

My parents ushered the young me into an 8-plex one fine afternoon prophesying an epic -- a cinematic triumph unparalleled since the days of Bergman. Disgruntled at my forebears' refusal to consent to a screening of Jaws 2, I nonetheless acquiesced and slumped into the screening room.

When I emerged a scant two hours later, I was no longer a callow youth. I had become a man.

Screen legend Burt Reynolds offers one of his most insightful, well-rounded performances as Sonny Hooper, an Achilles with a mustache, seemingly foredoomed to the stuntman slag heap by the onset of middle age. Playing the part with the gusto and verve of a man four-fifths his age, Reynolds achieves newfound heights without seeming to crack a script, winking slyly at the merry romp he has conjured. Sally (The Flying Nun) Field (who by some incredible chance happened to be dating Reynolds) plays the groundbreaking role of Hooper's common-law girlfriend, Gwen Doyle (a name so lilting and memorable, I promptly bestowed it upon all six of my goldfish). Field embodies the universal theme of a woman struggling to come to terms with a life she has neither chosen nor can escape. Kneepad-deep in beer cans, forced to wear short shorts, physically lifted and repositioned like an arc light or rubber tree, she personifies the objectification of women by the stuntmen who are themselves objectified by the studio hacks (Robert Klein) who employ them. As the winsome, perky daughter of stunt-osaurus Jocko Doyle (Brian Keith), Field set the standard by which all future stuntman's daughter roles would be be measured.

Central to the success of this story are the providential appearances of such childhood icons as James (Rosco P. Coletrane) Best, Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Bradshaw (utterly convincing as a man who gets hit in the face), and the impeccable Adam (Batman) West, who plays an actor respected enough that a film crew protectively prevents him from jumping over the side of a building. The absence of the sublime Dom DeLuise marks this film's only flaw, forgiveable considering that by this point in his trajectory, DeLuise had priced himself out of the market.

Shining through it all, dazzling in his wit, pathos, and imperfect grandeur, stands the linchpin, Burt Reynolds. Whether baring his bottom for a Xylocaine booster or outwitting the police by driving his pickup backwards, Reynolds inhabits the role so effortlessly, he seems to glide along like Clark Gable atop his Rhett Butler waltzing simulator.

Although this film had an unintentional rite-of-passage effect upon me, I was subsequently disillusioned to learn that Mr. Reynolds was not a stuntman, but an actor. Granted, the greatest actor to grace the silver screen since John Larroquette (who actually came later, but the comparison still stands), but still an actor.

It took years of therapy before I again began to trust.

"We are definitely in trouble."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 19 October 2021]

Gee, who came up with the name Delmore Shidski for Jan-Michael Vincent's character? I'm surprised he went along with it. Not only that, but in this picture he could have passed for Tom Cruise. The resemblance was uncanny.

This was a typical kind of vehicle for Burt Reynolds, maybe even more so since he himself was a stunt man before hitting it big as an actor. If you were around in the Seventies, the picture reminds you of his real life relationship with Sally Field; they were a hot item back then with constant mentions in the fan trade. The story line has Sonny Hooper (Reynolds) in a friendly rivalry with Vincent's 'Ski', both of whom eventually team up for a daring canyon stunt that actually belonged to a guy like Evil Knievel. It was a little jarring to hear the stunt crew refer to these jobs as 'gags', as they didn't appear to have anything funny about them. Apart from the stunt work, the boys get a real good workout at the Palomino Club when Hooper's crew tangles with football players led by Terry Bradshaw and Robert Tessier.

The action gets frenetic when the duo film their earthquake scene, dodging all manner of skidding cars and falling debris. The timing of some of those stunts looked like they came down to the last possible minute. It's an entertaining hour and a half for Burt Reynolds fans, and though I enjoyed it, my favorite is still his earlier movie "The Longest Yard".

The stunts are king

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 5 March 2014]

This is an easy going, light hearted comedy drama that Burt Reynolds effortlessly churned out in the 1970s.

Nothing much to tax your brain and plenty of stunts to keep his fans happy. The film is loosely based on the experiences of director Hal Needham who used to be a stuntman himself and serves as a tribute to stunt-men everywhere.

Reynolds is a veteran Hollywood stuntman who works hard and plays harder but is spurred on to do better when a rival emerges (Jan Michael Vincent) who is fitter, takes better care of himself and younger.

The two become friends after a bar brawl but begin an escalating but friendly rivalry with the stunts becoming more and more spectacular and dangerous that climaxes in a rocket car stunt.

Sally Field pops up as Reynold's girlfriend. There is a roster of stolid supporting actors from Adam West, Brian Keith, John Marley, Robert Klein.

The film is easy going, charming and fun. The stunts keep the action moving. There is good chemistry between Vincent and Reynolds but its also easily forgettable like a lot of Reynold's output from that era.

not as funny as Smokey but still good

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 10 July 2015]

Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is the best stuntman in the business admired by the stars. His girlfriend Gwen (Sally Field) has legendary stuntman Jocko Doyle (Brian Keith) as her father. Cully (James Best) is his loyal sidekick. Ski (Jan-Michael Vincent) is the new young upcoming hot shot. Sonny pranks him on their first meeting and they begin a friendly rivalry. Hooper injures himself in a record breaking fall and the doctor tells him that he could be paralyzed after one more bad fall. Director Roger Deal (Robert Klein) is so impressed with the stunts that he writes a bigger ending to the movie. Sonny comes up with a grand stunt across a gouge in a rocket car for him and Ski.

The biggest problem for this movie is 'Smokey and the Bandit'. It fails in comparison but honestly, that's high bar to clear. Burt is still cackling his laugh but this movie isn't gut busting funny. It's hijinx fun. It definitely has the stunts. This is a good homage to the Hollywood stuntman. The characters are lovable. It has a good simple story. It's an enjoyable ride. It's also one of the first to have a good outtakes reel for the closing credits.

Goofy peek behind the curtain into the world of stunts and stunt people

[a_chinn · 7/10 · 6 January 2019]

After the massive success of "Smokey and the Bandit" (which Alfred Hitchcock considered one of his favorites), star Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham re-teamed for this forgotten semi-classic. Burt plays an aging Hollywood stuntman who's trying to prove he's still got it when along comes young stuntman Jan-Michael Vincent (interestedly, in "The Mechanic" Vincent's character had a similar relationship to aging hitman Charles Bronson). However, the film is really not about narrative and primarily serves as a showcase for impressive stunts (high falls, car crashes, full-body flames, etc.), goofy low-brow banter (a lot of it fairly non-PC by contemporary standards), and for Burt and real-life girlfriend Sally Field to re-team on screen. Everything about this film is completely lightweight, from the drama to the characters to the humor. There's nothing here that makes it standout, but I do give "Hooper" credit for being the first Hollywood behind-the-scenes film to focus primarily on stuntmen and stuntwomen. Burt and director Needham both got their start in film working as stuntmen, which gives the film a sense of authenticity to the logistics behind the various stunts depicted in the film as well as the cocky showboat attitudes of the stunt people. In some ways, "Hooper" is very nearly a subculture film when it comes to this world of stunt people. Additionally, the likability of Burt Reynolds cannot be understated. He's not a genius actor or even a brilliant comic actor, but he has an onscreen charisma that fills the screen and makes you want to see what he'll do next. Field is equally likable, and although does not have as much screen time as Burt, she lights up every scene she's in. Overall, "Hooper" provides amiable low-brow humor and more interestingly provides a peek behind the curtain into the world of stunts and the people who perform them, even if it's not a very serious examination.

A Burt Reynolds CLASSIC

[mr_animal · 10/10 · 15 September 2020]

This movie is an absolute classic and a must see if you're a Burt Reynolds fan. Loved every minute of this movie.

Jock Mahoney should have played "Jocko"

[frontrowkid2002 · 6/10 · 1 September 2007]

I have always thought that the producers of "Hooper" did an injustice to Jock Mahoney nee Jacques Mahoney in not having him play the Brian Keith part. After all, the character's name was Jocko and Mahoney was called that by his co-workers. While Brian Keith may have been a better actor and known to younger audiences as "Uncle Bill" from TV's Family Affair (still playing cable TV somehere I'm sure), Mahoney was a great stuntman and early TV western star (Range Rider, Yancey Derringer) and even played Tarzan in a couple of films. His stepdaughter is Sally Field and his daughter Princess Mahoney played a bit part of one of the girls in the bar. It would have made it more of a family affair and younger audiences would have had the chance to see Jocko at work. He was president of the Stuntman's Union and had the reputation of doing dangerous stunts nobody else would touch. The saying around Hollywood was that "if Jocko walked away (refused) from a stunt, it was much too dangerous." Brian Keith's character comments on how he wished he hadn't spent so much time on the set and more time at home, helping to raise his daughter, played by Sally Field. It was a nice, warm touch which gave a little more realistic depth to the character.

Hooper is a disappointment and a waste of time

[mlschell · 2/10 · 15 April 2008]

Hooper is Not Funny, Not Fasted paced, Not romantic and Non informative. There is no real drama. You would think that a movie about the world's greatest stuntman would have some drama, there was an attempt but it didn't seem real. No Character study, no lessons learned, it did not even look like the actors were having any real fun, they were just trying to act like they were having fun. There is no reason to watch unless you like to look at Burt and want get an occasional glimpse of Sally. Prancer the horse was beautiful and did what he was supposed to do. In fact Prancer was the best actor in this movie. Smoky and the Bandit was such a fun movie that I was ready to like Hooper. This movie turned out to be a real disappointment and waste of time

Hooper 1978

[gordonbright58 · 10/10 · 28 March 2022]

A very action packed movie with a few funny scenes with Burt Reynolds and a great cast, I first saw this back in the late 70's at the Cinemas and have since enjoyed watching it again good memories.

Needham/Reynolds Tribute Stuntmen

[TheFearmakers · 7/10 · 15 September 2022]

By the time HOOPER hit theaters, star Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham were already reeling from the blockbuster success of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, a car-chase movie with a lot of stunts -- so it made sense to have their next literal vehicle be a tribute to stuntmen...

Plus the fact Burt liked doing his own, and Needham was a genuine Hollywood fall guy for decades, making this a doubled-down labor-of-love that mostly strays from the intentional silliness of SMOKEY, but with a few exceptions...

Like the feeling both cast and crew are having more fun than the audience, especially an overboard and corny James Best, providing Burt's titular Sonny Hooper pain pills while on the set of a pretentious director's action flick...

Where Robert Klein is the Peter Bogdanovich-like diva auteur and BATMAN Adam West the Reynolds-like superstar while Hooper's the top stuntman... feeling too old for the job...

Mostly because of a young upstart in Jan-Michael Vincent, perfect for the role opposite Reynolds for his natural ability to not seem like he's acting, or trying for any performance but being a tough and dependable anti-sidekick...

Leading to a nail-biting final stunt discussed/anticipated for the last half that... despite a cliche bar brawl and a filler romance with Sally Field (daughter of stunt-veteran Brian Keith)... puts HOOPER on a grounded, set-course contrasting the endless-road-zaniness of the previous film that got 'em there.

"Smokey & The Bandit" looks like "Citizen Cane" in Comparison

[BoomerDT · 3/10 · 4 August 2022]

Never seen this and was looking for an 1 1/2 flick before going to bed last night. Wasn't expecting much, didn't get surprised, but even by Burt Reynolds drive in movies of the 70's this is weak. Burt again teams up with his "Bandit" director Hal Needham to show us the life of supposedly the world's greatest stuntman. Sally Field is along for the ride again as Burt's GF, naturally worried about him getting crippled. Virtually no plot, just a series of stunts or "gags" as they are evidently referred to in the industry. The only worthwhile part is, it is interesting watching and going behind the scenes as Needham shows the audience how the stunts are planned and then executed.