monday, august 28, 1978
daily nebraskan
page 21
'Hooper is formula with new twist
By Peg Sheldrick
"Hooper" is a show for people who like a little movie
with their action.
Hal Needham, a stunt man and stunt coordinator di
rected Burt Reynolds, a former stuntman, in this tribute
to that eccentric and suicidal breed of folk who risk life
and limb to set moviegoers' pulses pounding. The film
doesn't have much to offer fans of great acting or lovers
of deep plots, but it does provide an interesting look at
the world of Sonny Hooper (Reynolds), the self-proclaimed
king of the stunt men.
movie review
Hooper's greatest pride is that he "never turned down a
gag (stunt)." That should give you an idea of his personali
ty. As in "Smokey and the Bandit," our hero is a charm
ing but reckless sort, bereft of any respect for authority,
who can't resist a challenge.
New elements
Once again, the love interest is Sally Field. And once
again pranks, brawls and crashes abound. But some new
elements have been added to the formula that made "Ban
dit" so popular.
The wild chases and spectacular wrecks all are part of
the film Hooper is working on, "The Spy Who Laughed
at Danger." The movie-within-a movie device allows
several incredible gags as well as an amusing send-up of the
Bond brand of action-adventure flick.
Hooper, as stunt coordinator, must cope with an
egomaniacal director with a heart of celluloid and a new
kid in town destined to take over as stunt king (Robert
Klein and Jan-Michael Vincent), as well as the knowledge
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"A RIOT OF A THING. QUE OF THE
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that his aging body won't take too many more jolts. All
of this gives "Hooper" more substance than "Bandit" had.
Punishing lifestyle
Though it doesn't indulge in the black comedy and
cynicism of Reynolds' other recent film, "The End," the
film does pause occasionally to ponder the whys and
wherefores of Sonny's wild life. The pauses aren't long;
the story never gets heavy. But the punishing physical
aspects of running the gags are emphasized as much as the
thrills.
The viewer wonders why anyone would go into stunt
work. It can't be for the money - for a mere $50,000
Hooper consents to a gag that will probably kill him. (You
can win more on "Name That Tune" and never lift a
finger.) And Hooper scorns any pretensions to art, so his
stunts are not done for the love of the cinema.
Why do it?
The film never really explains why Hooper and his
friends do what they do. Chances are they can't explain it
themselves. "Hooper" isn't really a message picture or a
psychological study. It's just a picture by stunt folk about
stunt folk.
Action lovers aren't the only ones who will enjoy the
film. Anyone in the mood for a lighthearted romp behind
the scenes in Tinsel Town will find "Hooper" a pleasant
way to pass an hour or two. The gags don't lose their im
pact just because you can see the man hit the air bag.
For his spectacular finale, director Neeham found a
small town slated for demolition for industrial reasons and
did the job himself. He was thorough, to say the least. The
PG rating is for the raunchy language, though, because the
stunts are bloodless. "Hooper" is currently playing at the
Douglas 3 Theatre Complex.
UNL connection
Incidentally, local theater fans will note that the sup
porting cast includes Hal Floyd, a member of the UNL
theatre department faculty who directed last year's Dallas
Award-winning "Hot L Baltimore." Floyd plays Cliff, the
mechanic who juices'up Hooper's cars.
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