Disturbing yet enthralling

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

At a certain point, many of these Burt Reynolds movies tend to blur into one. The constant use of Pontiac Firebird Trans Am's and the fact he's actually wearing another Firebird jacket (silver this time), just like in 'Smokey 2'. Yeah I get the fact the Firebird was a top American muscle car back then but with Reynolds behind the wheel, you could be watching any number of movies!The plot revolves around Reynolds as the titular Hooper, supposedly the greatest Hollywood stuntman alive. Alas old Hooper is getting old, too many crashes and too many painkillers are taking their toll on Hooper. His girlfriend (played by real time girlfriend Sally Field, probably why she's in the movie) is also fed up with Hooper's dangerous career and wants him to quit. Then along comes a much younger, fitter stuntman (Jan-Michael Vincent) who kinda challenges Hooper's position, naturally a friendly yet intense rivalry grows between them as they try to out perform each other. This eventually culminates in the chance to pull off the greatest stunt ever on the movie they are working on. Its extremely dangerous but the pay is huge, thing is, no one thinks they can do it. Hooper's bird doesn't want him to, the doc doesn't want him to, but the movies director is demanding they do it. Is it worth risking their lives for?This movie is directed by none other than Hal Needham, a good friend of Reynolds (if you couldn't tell). The story is actually loosely based around Needham's early career as a stuntman in Hollywood. 'Hollywood's greatest stuntman'? that's the films tagline on the poster, so did Needham kinda have a rather overinflated opinion of himself? or was he really that good?So if we're really honest here, the movie is just an excuse for lots and lots of stunts utilising many stuntmen in the biz. It is a comedy in case you were wondering, its not a heavy drama or anything. Its your usual slapstick affair with Reynolds doing what he does best...drive Trans Am's (did he have a sponsorship deal or something?). As you can imagine the tomfoolery on display in this movie is predictable and hokey. Pretty much every basic stunt you can think of is thrown on the screen, by real stuntmen, not Burt, although he does do the odd bit and was quite athletic back then. You got guys being thrown through windows, bar fights, horse riding, falling off horses, swinging from buildings, falling from heights, flipping cars, jumping cars, explosions, toppling buildings etc...The grand finale is a whopping sequence featuring Hooper and Ski's car trying to escape a small town set whilst it crumbles down around it. The guys must navigate a gauntlet of destruction evading explosions, falling buildings, other cars, people running around etc...and make it to a bridge which ultimately collapses. There they both attempt the huge dangerous stunt of jumping the car over the collapsed bridge (335 feet). This sequence is worth the wait as it shows many solid stunts, nothing that will blow you away these days mind you, but still dangerous well timed stunts. The best being a huge factory chimney falling down with the car just racing past underneath before it hits the ground. The actual final big leap does look good for the most part but it cuts before we see it reach the other side, so I have no idea if that stunt was actually completely successfully.The movie is ultimately about the camaraderie between Hooper and his band of stunt mates (Reynolds realtime coworkers). Its uplifting and cute for sure, but hammy as hell, as is Reynolds ladies man image which is always a part of his characters and kinda cringeworthy. Never really sure if he is just playing that image up or he genuinely thinks he's a charmer. Reynolds also manages to break the forth wall here yet again, as he has done on many of his car comedy movies.Its like a massive overlong episode of 'The Dukes of Hazzard' (James Best is here after all), or just more hijinks from The Bandit. Or, more accurately, a movie about how Hal Needham and co go about making their proper stunt filled extravaganzas, almost like a sly behind the scenes. However you look at it, it is a fun ride at times, Reynolds is clearly having a blast with his car obsessed team of Hollywood regulars, but that doesn't disguise the fact it is completely unoriginal. Yes the tale of a stuntman based on a real person is relatively fresh, but what we actually see is just more of what Reynolds has done before, with the same people (in the same cars!). Oh and the movies title/wording on the poster looks like an actual beer companies logo.6/10

Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is the best stuntman in the business admired by the stars. His girlfriend Gwen (Sally Field) has legendary stuntman Jocko Doyle (Brian Keith) as her father. Cully (James Best) is his loyal sidekick. Ski (Jan-Michael Vincent) is the new young upcoming hot shot. Sonny pranks him on their first meeting and they begin a friendly rivalry. Hooper injures himself in a record breaking fall and the doctor tells him that he could be paralyzed after one more bad fall. Director Roger Deal (Robert Klein) is so impressed with the stunts that he writes a bigger ending to the movie. Sonny comes up with a grand stunt across a gouge in a rocket car for him and Ski.The biggest problem for this movie is 'Smokey and the Bandit'. It fails in comparison but honestly, that's high bar to clear. Burt is still cackling his laugh but this movie isn't gut busting funny. It's hijinx fun. It definitely has the stunts. This is a good homage to the Hollywood stuntman. The characters are lovable. It has a good simple story. It's an enjoyable ride. It's also one of the first to have a good outtakes reel for the closing credits.

Hooper is a relic of that bygone era when Burt Reynolds was the biggest movie star on the planet. Unlike today's big stars who exploit success for either artistic indulgences or to turn themselves into global brands, Reynolds decided to spend his moments in the sun having as much fun on screen as he could possible have. That impulse eventually led him to such levels of self parody that his film career imploded and never recovered. Before it got to that point, though, he clearly had a heck of a good time and Hooper is probably one of the best testaments to that.Sonny Hooper is Reynolds in all of his gum chewing, cowboy hat wearing, weird laugh emitting glory. Sonny is the top stunt man in Hollywood, working on a big budget action film with cold blooded director Roger Deal (Robert Klein). The story is technically about Sonny feeling age and infirmity creeping up on him while having to deal with a young stunt man (Jan-Michael Vincent) who seems primed to surpass him. I say technically because the story is really just an excuse for Reynolds, his friends and his then lover Sally Field to mug for the camera and pal around on the studio's dime. There was still such fresh energy in Reynolds in 1978 that he could get away with that and be entertaining. When Hooper enters its final half hour and builds toward a big rocket car stunt climax, you can't help but notice how much of the movie up 'til then was just Reynolds and company screwing around between the bare number of mandatory scenes to advance the minimalistic plot.As a movie, this is little more than a collection of gags and one liners as a tribute to the hard life and hard living of the Hollywood stunt man. The few attempts to generate drama, like having Sonny's father-in-law (Brian Keith) suffer a stroke or Hooper risking paralysis by doing one more stunt, are all undercut by no one in the cast taking any of it seriously unless they absolutely have to.What you can take away from watching Hooper is how boyishly appealing Reynolds was at his prime, how sexy Sally Field was in hers and how odd Terry Bradshaw looked with a full head of hair. It's a fun film where the humor has held up better over time than the stunt work, though Reynolds and James Best's penchant for impersonations likely seemed as strange then as it does today. If you liked Smokey and the Bandit but wondered how things could have gone so wrong with Smokey and the Bandit II, watching Hooper could be a good guide. It regenerates a good bit of that engaging Smokey feel, yet you can also see a level of self indulgence creeping in that rarely leads to anything good.

Another light-hearted, but likable throwaway comedy drama by Burt Reynolds and at that time his girlfriend Sally Field. Probably my favourite of the crop. As Reynolds plays a legendary Hollywood stuntman Sonny Hooper who's spurred on by a young rival Ski Chinski (Michael Jan Vincent), as the pair prepare for one very outrageous stunt which could cost their lives. This caper might have some serious consequences within, but everything is done in a confidently bright and breezy manner ("Sonny, you're all heart") that you'll be hard pressed not to see these character overcome the dangers and stress of their professions. It basically makes light of everything. The plot is thin with no real excuse other than to spontaneously display one exciting stunt showpiece after another while filling the gaps with rowdy camaraderie (the dying breed getting into trouble) and rib-tickling high-jinks. The finale is spectacularly staged in movie magic. It shows in the faces of cast that everyone is having a good time with it. Reynolds is perfectly laid-back delivering the usual quota of snappy wisecracks. Jan Vincent is fittingly stolid as the young stuntman learning the ropes from a master and Field brings a charming independence to her role. There's very good support in the likes of Brian Keith, Adam West, Terry Bradshaw, John Marley, Robert Klein, James Best and Robert Tessier. Enjoyably carefree, but colourful time-waster."You should drink more. Nothing hurts when you're numb."