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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dutch - Funny, Touching, A Wonderful Film by all Standards!!, August 13, 2003
Ohhhh, this is a good one. The magnificent dueling performances by Ethan Embry and Ed O'Neill keep you glued to the screen like you're watching some crackerjack tennis match as the two battle back and forth. Ed O'Neill plays Dutch, a wealthy professional who feels more at ease wearing a softened pair of corduroy pants while drinking a beer and eating pretzels than he does seeing an opera or visiting the local country club. He falls for JoBeth Williams' character, Natalie, the divorcee to a rich, snobby businessman -- the same man who has managed to turn their son Doyle against her. Knowing that he's going to "pop the question" soon, Dutch volunteers to go to Doyle's ritzy boarding school in Georgia to bring him home via car for the Thanksgiving holiday. By doing so, he's hoping that they will have a unique chance to bond and that the boy will be more loving to his mother. Ohhhhh, Dutch....what were you thinking?? It's a nightmare!! From the moment they meet, the two are battling at every level. Ethan Embry is OUTSTANDING as Dobsy (errr, Dwayne...uhmm, no....Digby?). He plays the part of the spoiled rich brat to perfection. Their funny misadventures on the road home put them in all sorts of hilarious situations...from losing their car in a freak "accident" to hitchhiking a ride with some hookers to spending the night at a homeless shelter. It keeps getting funnier with every turn. Ed O'Neill takes Dutch to a whole new level with his calm, cool collectedness. He displays incredible control of his character and you'll just be cheering for the guy the whole time. The touching moments are when we see Doyle by himself, contemplating his attitude about life and his family. When he thinks no one is watching, Doyle is surprisingly sensitive and not so much the young adult who probably has a stock ticker in his closet...he's just a lost, struggling teenager who's as vulnerable as the rest of us. But the ultimate question is...will Dutch succeed in winning Doyle over? You'll just have to watch and see for yourself!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I'm Sorry, But I Like This Movie!, November 15, 2001
This 1991 John Hughes film was a gigantic dud at the box office and was critically panned by pretty much every critic. Well guess what?, I like it!. It's far from being great, but as far as guilty pleasures go, this one is a good one. Ed 'O' Neill plays Dutch Dooley, a normal, everyday schlub who is in a relationship with a well to do woman, played by Poltergeists' JoBeth Williams. Dutch volunteers to go get her son at a private school and bring him home for Thanksgiving. Easy as pie, right?. Well, no. The kid is an uptight, snobbish brat. The ride home is full of one disaster after another. Dutch and Doyle try desperatley to get home, while the two constantly bicker at each other. During this time, Doyle gets a good dose of reality thrown in his face. Many moments are actually quite serious. Your not expecting it. The funny momets are quite humorous. All the things Dutch does to Doyle is, I must say, pretty funny. Doyle is played by Ethan Randall, who went on to appear in "That Thing You Do", "Vegas Vacation", "Can't Hardly Wait", and the FOX series "Freakylinks", which he went under Ethan Embry. 'O' Neill displays his great comedic talent and sly witicisms that he perfected on "Married With Children". The ending, this being a John Hughes film, is warm, fuzzy, and happy. Would you expect anything less?. All in all, it's a decent and harmless little road movie. Not bad.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ed O'Neill really can act, and this movie is excellent., August 18, 2005
Two things. First, I think this movie is somewhat of a sleeper that many people overlook, may have heard a little bit about, caught once on cable, or totally forgotten. That's tragic. It's an awesome movie, and, even if it does resemble John Hughes' close movie with Steve Martin and John Candy ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles") only to the extent that it involves trying to get home for the holidays and a road trip, from that point, it's a totally different movie and really stands on its own.
Second, this movie shows that Ed O'Neill should never simply be thought of as simply the dad from "Married with Children." He is an amazing actor, and I could envision NOONE else having filled this role. He was perfect for it, and I totally could relate to him at every turn. He was truly a fella after my own heart.
The bottom line is that this simply a great movie with a great message. Something you can watch with your old mom and pop, and your bratty neice and nephew and not worry about too much. Brief scene with a couple of hookers, but this is played down so much and is so tongue-in-cheek, that there are no worries there. Other than that, great movie, classic moments, outrageously funny situations and one-liners, with a good, solid message to send home.
I really can't recommend it enough and was very thankful to find it being released on dvd after all this time. Get it while you can.
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