On H List of Movie Reviews
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Hooper (1978)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
5/05, 5/25
5/05:
Hooper offers an insight into the world of stuntmen.
It's all in good fun. The acting is average, but the story isn't bad. Of course, the best part is the stunts.
All in all, Hooper is a great Burt Reynolds picture.
5/25:
It's eerie to watch Hooper because it foretold what Burt Reynolds, a longtime stuntman, went through in
the final decades of his life.
Accused of having AIDS, Burt Reynolds got hit in the jaw by a chair during the making of
City Heat and subsequently lost over thrity pounds. As a result, he became
addicted to painkillers and was forced to enter drug rehab years later. Along the way, Sally Field rejected him,
and his marriage to Loni Anderson and poor investments in restaurants led to massive bankrupcty. Even
Jan-Michael Vincent passed away within six months of Burt Reynolds' death in 2018.
As for Hooper, it's fun whenever stunts are performed. Otherwise, Burt Reynolds is being charismatic to
fill in the time. The story is mostly lightweight although it highlights what stuntmen have to go through and
still get no respect while being paid little given the risk involved that can potentially kill them. Oddly, Burt
Reynolds plays a stuntman in a movie about stuntmen yet is played by a different guy when there's action.
The director of the film within the film sure looks like Oliver Stone, eh? It turns out to be Peter Bogdanovich.
That, I can believe. To show how Burt Reynolds felt about him, he punched his pseudo-director in the face. On the
other hand, it would've been cool if the action shown in Hooper became part of
Smokey and the Bandit II from a movie perspective, so the viewers
could compare both sides and see how well they blend.
All in all, Hooper is worth watching for several reasons: Burt Reynolds, the stunts, and how Hollywood
works behind the scenes.