BT1886

Dutch

Boomer ass movie. Written by legendary writer/director John Hughes and starring the lovably caustic Ed O’Neill, Dutch has its moments of decent humor but is painfully dull for much of its runtime. At times, it feels like a lesser version of Hughes’ own Planes, Trains, and Automobiles—perhaps due to the uninspired direction from Peter Faiman, or simply because the script doesn’t quite measure up. Dutch somewhat makes up for its shortcomings with some strong performances from Ed O’Neill and Ethan Embry. Despite the film being overly sentimental and heavy-handed in its attempts to assure you that Dutch Dooley is this stand-up, fun-loving, working-class guy, the blossoming relationship between their characters is the heart of the film. It doesn’t always work, but it’s sweet nonetheless. Except for that weird part with the hookers—we’ll chalk that up to societal differences at the time. I watched this with my wife, who seemed to enjoy it, and something that stood out to both of us was how surprisingly well shot the film is. Charles Minsky, the cinematographer and frequent Gary Marshall collaborator (who probably would have done this film justice as director), gives Dutch an unexpected amount of visual style. One shot that stands out to me is when Doyle is looking out of the passenger side window of a car as big, gaudy red neon signs are reflecting off of the windshield. Dutch isn’t a film I’d recommend seeking out—it’s not particularly good—but if you need something playing in the background, it’s not too bad. It’s a surprisingly nice-looking film with some pretty funny moments, though nothing you haven’t seen before. • Watched in 2024 — Ranked (https://boxd.it/rMle4) • (https://boxd.it/ggvO4)Collab Film Club — Ranked (https://boxd.it/ggvO4)https://boxd.it/ggvO4