Like Father Like Son (1987)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Simply A Masterpiece

One of my all time favorites.

A Major Disappointment

I suffered through this film in jaw dropping disbelief.First of all, who would cast Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron in the same film? Seriously? It's like mixing oil and water and just doesn't work. Especially if your cast Kirk Cameron as Dudley Moore's son. Who thought that would be believable? Hey, let's take two of the worst actors in the world that are complete opposites and cast them as father and son.Then, to add to the puke factor, there's the 80's hair band background music. As if Cameron as son and Moore as father wasn't enough to induce projectile vomiting they pushed it one step further with the lame soundtrack.Then there's the story line, the script. Were they taking mind altering drugs when they wrote this? If so, it was something that caused complete stupidity.

Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I think this movie's great. There's lots of hilarious (and clean) sight gags, slapstick and laugh-out-loud situations.Dudley Moore, obviously the far more superior comedian, is fantastic as a teenager stuck in an adult's body. He has many funny scenes and milks them for all they're worth, my favourite being the chewing gum/cigarette incident. The looks on his co-stars' faces is priceless. Watch also for Moore's date with Margaret Colin (that goes really badly) and when he does the rounds at the hospital.Unfortunately, there are a few flaws. There's a bit of swearing and sexual reference (which would make it an otherwise very suitable film for kids). It wastes the talent of Catherine Hicks in a surprisingly pointless and unnecessary role and Sean Astin is super-annoying (as always) as the "wacky" best friend/sidekick. The film also resorts to schmaltz at the end when it goes for a warm and fuzzy finale.Otherwise, a great film that's lots and lots of fun. Funky soundtrack and wonderful flashback to the delightfully tacky fashions and hairstyles of the '80s.

The jokes did not quite take off in the first half of the film. I was appalled by how bad the dialogue was, and how un-funny the lines that are supposed to be funny are. Chris' best friend is perhaps THE most annoying person in the first half; his lines are retarded, and so is he. Chris (Kirk Cameron) is also very annoying, and so is his dad. After they switched brains though, the film got a whole lot better. It's a riot to see Dr. Hammond in Chris' body going to school and being a smart ass. It's even funnier to see Chris in his father's body going to work. This movie is basically something to entertain you for a couple of hours. It's not over-the-top-ly funny, and it's very stupid, but it's all in the name of entertainment. Great acting from Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron. Can't say much for the rest of the cast 'cause I don't really remember what the heck they did. A rather interesting plot as well, if you're not in the mood to think.To sum it up, "Like Father, Like Son" is stupid...but it's fun.

Upon watching this film in the TBS Sunday movie context, dully and without vision for the 27th time, as if by exquisite divine intervention, it came to me. This movie is quite brilliant in its stupidity. Let's look at the average B 8o's switcheroo flick as if it were a slice of swiss cheese - the holes are meant to be there. It wouldn't be the cheese without it. One may not look any further than the montage of running sneakers and joyous looks of dumb amazement coming down the stairs at you to realize that what we have here is a little slice of heaven. I also particularly like the fact that the Chief of Staff's middle-aged wife is trolling around the singles bars on Sunset Blvd by herself on a random week night - where she just happens upon Dr. Hammond and his son's friend, Trigger (as in hung like). The fact that said bar seems to consist solely of single, attractive women doesn't strike anyone odd? The brilliance here is less subdued - this is obviously how Chris Hammond SEES the bar through his inexperienced, sheltered eyes. This is yet another scene where we get to see Dudley Moore dumbfounded and looking agog. As he surveys the scene, the camera again treats us with super-fast editing so that we can see his expression not once, but several times. I could wax on and on about the adventures of the Hammond's however, I often frighten myself.