Hooper

PG

Released Jul 28, 1978

1h 40m

Action

List

57%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is getting too banged up to remain Hollywood's top stuntman, but he signs up as the stunt coordinator for a big-budget action movie with a pushy director (Robert Klein) and a clueless star (Adam West). Ready to retire from the physical abuse, Hooper is gearing up to make the film's climactic stunt his biggest ever, but cocky young stuntman Ski Chinski (Jan-Michael Vincent) aims to steal the glory with his more scientific, technology-oriented stunt methods.

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Bryan B

One of my favorite 70's Burt movies. Lots of fun, jokes & stunts. Impossible not to like the movie with always likable Burt.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The creators of Smokey and the Bandit return with the late Burt Reynolds and Sally Field Reynolds is Hooper, the most successful stuntman in Hollywood He risks life and limb doing what he does The bigger the stunt the bigger the pay But he's facing new competition from a younger more experienced player named Ski using more advanced technological-oriented stunt methods Gwen his girlfriend is also concerned for Hooper's well-being taking pills and worrying about how much longer he can take the physical abuse on set Can he pull off one last stunt involving a rocket engine or face being crippled possibly death? Quite the film that has so much energy and Reynolds is having so much fun There will always be a new wave of stuntmen whom are younger, stronger relying on machines The thrill, danger and physical toll on stuntmen is present throughout even directors can be viewed as megalomaniacs clashing with actors And yes the stunts in the movie itself are impressive well worth the viewing between car crashes and explosions It could dig deeper into its Hollywood subject but cleverly mocks the idea of everything being fake on film One of Reynolds' more likable pictures

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/14/23

Full Review

mike g

Most people have no idea Smokey and the Bandit was the 2nd highest grosding film of 1977 (only to be beat by a dysfunctional family in a galaxy far, far away). Burt was the biggest star in the world for the rest of the 70s and very early 80s. His good friend and stuntman Hal Needham fell on tough financial times and lived at Burts home. He wrote Hooper and Burt made sure it was turned into a movie. I saw it first in the cinema as a kid and then a few times later as an adult. It's vintage Burt. From the wise cracks, to the deadpan 'breaking the fourth wall' looks to the camera, to the hotness that he and Sally Field displayed on screen. The ending sequence of stunts still astonish today's most jaded CGI'd audience. It's a lot of fun and represents a wonderful time when movies were a blast.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very cool and comical movie about the life of a stunt-man. Not a whole lot of substance to the plot here, but Burt Reynolds was a bad-ass once again, and I thought Sally Field was really hot and was a great leading lady, just as she was in the Smokey and the Bandit movies

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What can you say Burt Reynolds at his prime doing what became his classic style movie. The movie was also an homage to all the men behind the man the Hollywood stunt men. Revealing them as Men not crash dummies but real men who risked their lives to give audiences thrills and how doing this takes its toll over time. Hopefully we who enjoy action films will remember Hooper and after raving about the stars, directors and such will sing the praise of Hollywood's heroes the stunt people!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

After the massive success of "Smokey and the Bandit" (which Alfred Hitchcock considered one of his favorites), star Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham re-teamed for this forgotten semi-classic. Burt plays an aging Hollywood stuntman who's trying to prove he's still got it when along comes young stuntman Jan-Michael Vincent (interestedly, in "The Mechanic" Vincent's character had a similar relationship to aging hitman Charles Bronson). However, the film is really not about narrative and primarily serves as a showcase for impressive stunts (high falls, car crashes, full-body flames, etc.), goofy low-brow banter (a lot of it fairly non-PC by contemporary standards), and for Burt and real-life girlfriend Sally Field to re-team on screen. Everything about this film is completely lightweight, from the drama to the characters to the humor. There's nothing here that makes it standout, but I do give "Hooper" credit for being the first Hollywood behind-the-scenes film to focus primarily on stuntmen and stuntwomen. Burt and director Needham both got their start in film working as stuntmen, which gives the film a sense of authenticity to the logistics behind the various stunts depicted in the film as well as the cocky showboat attitudes of the stunt people. In some ways, "Hooper" is very nearly a subculture film when it comes to this world of stunt people. Additionally, the likability of Burt Reynolds cannot be understated. He's not a genius actor or even a brilliant comic actor, but he has an onscreen charisma that fills the screen and makes you want to see what he'll do next. Field is equally likable, and although does not have as much screen time as Burt, she lights up every scene she's in. Overall, "Hooper" provides amiable low-brow humor and more interestingly provides a peek behind the curtain into the world of stunts and the people who perform them, even if it's not a very serious examination.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Hal Needham

Director

Burt Reynolds

Sonny Hooper

Jan-Michael Vincent

Ski

Sally Field

Gwen

Brian Keith

Jocko

John Marley

Max Berns

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

The camera is always in the wrong place; it’s as if Needham had a tic that made him turn his head at the crucial moment.

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

Arthur Knight

Hollywood Reporter

With this film, Needham demonstrates conclusively that he is far more than simply a spirited action director, eliciting beautiful performances from every member of his large and carefully chosen cast.

Aug 7, 2018

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

People have been mentioning Burt Reyolds and Clark Gable in the same breath for several years now. With Hooper, Reynolds has finally justified the camparison.

Feb 2, 2016

Full Review

Elizabeth Smith

Montreal Gazette

There's a chance your 10-year-old may be too sophisticated for Hooper.

Nov 21, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…Hooper the movie never quite recovers from Hooper the character’s obnoxiousness; it’s exhausting always rooting for this anti-hero…

Rated: 2/5

Nov 12, 2022

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...fun and freewheeling...

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 13, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is getting too banged up to remain Hollywood's top stuntman, but he signs up as the stunt coordinator for a big-budget action movie with a pushy director (Robert Klein) and a clueless star (Adam West). Ready to retire from the physical abuse, Hooper is gearing up to make the film's climactic stunt his biggest ever, but cocky young stuntman Ski Chinski (Jan-Michael Vincent) aims to steal the glory with his more scientific, technology-oriented stunt methods.

Director: Hal Needham
Producer: Lawrence Gordon
Screenwriter: Thomas Rickman, Bill Kerby
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: PG
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 28, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 11, 2021
Runtime: 1h 40m

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