As Good As It Gets

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Somebody wrote a while back that Burt Reynolds tarnished his reputation with movies like Smokey & the Bandit and Hooper, but I don't think Burt cried too many tears into his satin pillow over that criticism. Good 'ol boy comedies were big in the 1970s, and Reynolds made himself some tall cash with theses movies, as did others like Clint Eastwood. Take a look at Robert Redford in The Electric Horseman, and even Ryan O'Neal in The Main Event for some examples of how others tried to cash in on blue collar comedy. He knew what he was getting himself into. After all, you make these movies for the public, not the critics. Take it for what it is. It's a thin plotted story about Sonny Hooper, the greatest stuntman in Hollywood, and that's all you really need to know going in. It's worth watching for the supporting cast if nothing else. You'll see James Best, Bob Tessier, Adam West, Terry Bradshaw, Brian Keith and plenty of others hamming this one up from start to finish. Jan Michael Vincent gets a huge part in this as "Ski," the up and coming young stuntman trying to knock Hooper off the top of the Hollywood ladder.There are good stunts throughout- helicopters jumps, car chases, etc. Don't miss the all-out bar fight at the Palomino Club.That's worth the price of admission by itself. Yeah, it's all pretty stupid, but you'll enjoy watching it. You'll probably wish someone could make something as entertaining today.

This is an easy going, light hearted comedy drama which 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.

Burt Reynolds was so cool in Deliverance - too bad his movie career went down the tubes so quickly in the 70's! However, this movie is pretty funny to watch. Burt plays the aging stuntman very well, and his best scenes are with Jan Michael Vincent. I only wish they had more time together on screen. They could have made this a more serious drama - would have been interesting! As it stands, Jan-Michael lights up the screen with his few appearances, just making you wish he had more to do. The tension between Burt as the older man, and Jan as the young upstart works great. But he's not in this enough! Otherwise, everything else seems to be goofiness and filler, including Sally Field! But it may be worth your time just to see a few of the stunts - especially the daredevil car scene at the end.

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.