Common Sense Media Review
By Tracy Moore
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dog-buddy comedy has lots of slobber and some violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
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Turner & Hooch
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 12 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is entertaining and heartwarming, particularly for dog lovers, but also contains significant violence, language, and some suggestive themes that make it unsuitable for younger audiences. Many reviews mention the emotional impact of the ending with the dog dying, which overshadowed the fun moments and left several viewers feeling upset.
- dog lovers
- emotional ending
- unsuitable for kids
- violence present
- language issues
- fun moments
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Scott Turner (Tom Hanks) is an investigator in a small town where nothing ever happens. That changes when a source is murdered, leaving behind Hooch, an aggressive French mastiff with a lot of slobber who happens to be the only witness to the crime. Now Turner must solve the crime without much help from his boss, Chief Hyde (Craig T. Nelson), while training an unruly companion who turns his organized life to shambles but may also lead him to love with local veterinarian Dr. Carson (Mare Winningham).
Is It Any Good?
TURNER & HOOCH is a well-intentioned but fairly cheesy buddy picture whose appeal hinges on your tolerance for slobbering dogs and extended scenes of loud barking. But it has a certain charm as a genre film from an era that seemed to churn them out like clockwork. That said, there's enough violence to concern parents -- multiple murders and a dog's death, shown in teary-eyed close-up -- though still nothing on the level of most action movies today.
For children of a certain age group, though, the excessive slobber and destruction of prized possessions committed by the dog may be worth the price of admission alone. For parents, it will be a funny reminder of Hanks' early Big-era work, even if it's not his best.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ethical treatment of animals. Do you think Hooch was treated fairly in the film? Would a movie today involve so much yelling at a dog? Here, it plays for comedy, but in real life how are dogs typically trained when they're loud or aggressive?
How did Turner and Hooch affect each other? Was it a positive relationship for both of them? Why, or why not?
How does the violence in this film compare to that in more contemporary movies? Is it more or less realistic?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 28, 1989
- On DVD or streaming : April 2, 2002
- Cast : Tom Hanks , Mare Winningham , Craig T. Nelson
- Director : Roger Spottiswood
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Touchstone Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Adventures , Animals , Friendship
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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