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Like Father Like Son (1987 film)

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Like Father Like Son
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRod Daniel
Written bySteve Bloom
Lorne Cameron
David Hoselton
Produced byBrian Grazer
David Valdes
Starring
CinematographyJames Crabe
Jack N. Green
Edited byLois Freeman-Fox
Music byMiles Goodman
Shelly Manne
Production
company
Distributed byTri-Star Pictures
Release date
  • October 2, 1987 (1987-10-02)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10.5 million[1]
Box office$34.4 million

Like Father Like Son is a 1987 American fantasy comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron.

Plot

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Chris Hammond is a high school senior. He likes a girl at school, Lori, who is dating his rival and bully Rick. His father, Jack, is a surgeon who is trying to get promoted to chief of staff at his hospital. Chris has a friend, Clarence "Trigger", whose Uncle Earl had his leg fixed by Native Americans with a body-switching potion called the "Brain-Transference Serum". Trigger shows Chris how the serum works by trying it out on Chris' cat and dog, and the pets switch bodies. Trigger brought the serum in a Tabasco sauce bottle, and the Hammond's housekeeper Phyllis puts the bottle in the food cupboard. Jack unwittingly puts some serum in his Bloody Mary. The serum works by someone ingesting it, then the next person that looks into their eyes switches bodies with them. As Jack looks into his son's eyes, the father and son switch bodies.

Trigger states that he will get in contact with his Uncle Earl to find a way for the two to switch back, but Earl has just left for another trip. Chris goes to town in his dad's body, using his dad's credit card to shop and party with Trigger. He bumps into his dad's boss's wife while out in a bar but does not realize who she is. She comes on to him, and he accepts. In the morning, Jack in his son's body and Chris in his father's body woke up screaming and realize they are not dreaming. Jack goes to school in Chris's place, while Chris calls in sick at the hospital. Jack's boss Larry goes to Jack's house to check on him and sees him feeling better. Jack gets called in to work, and he ends up handing out a bunch of pills to patients while doing rounds. He also seconds a motion proposed by his dad's colleague, suggesting that the hospital could treat patients with no insurance.

Meanwhile, at school, Jack’s knowledge of the schoolwork and his willingness to point out troublemakers in class has him shunned by his fellow students. He takes Lori to a concert but does not enjoy himself, finding the music too loud. Then he fails to perform at the big relay race, and Rick beats him up because of the track meet and taking Lori out.

They finally get in touch with Earl, who explains that they can get the antidote if they go on a trip to Death Valley. After a few hiccups, they find the key ingredient for the antidote. Earl makes it up and they drink it; however looking into each other's eyes, does not work. Earl explains it can sometimes take a while to work. The antidote finally works as Jack in Chris' body is running late for a meeting. Chris in Jack's body is on his way to a meeting about his dad becoming Chief of Staff, which will not happen now that Jack's boss found out what Chris did with his wife while in Jack's body. Now back in their own bodies, both of them race to the hospital.

Chris speaks up at the Chief of Staff meeting to try to persuade the boss to give his dad the job, but his boss will not hear it. Jack walks in and says he does not want the job anymore; he would rather spend the overtime with his son. On the way out, Trigger sees Rick and gives him the Brain-Transference Serum. The next person who looks into Rick’s eyes is Jack's employer, Dr. Larry Armbruster. The film end as they both scream after they switch bodies.

Cast

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Reception

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The film received negative reviews, particularly by famed movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Ebert called it "one of the most desperately bad comedies I've ever seen", but Siskel showed even more aggressive derision and hatred towards the film, calling it a "cheap marketing decision masquerading as a comedy".[2]

Motion picture-historian Leonard Maltin seemed to agree, declaring the film a "BOMB" and adding that "Dudley Moore's mugging talents get a major workout in this hall-of-fame embarrassment."[3]

Conversely, Caryn James of The New York Times wrote that "Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron are so clever and charming as the mismatched pair that they turn a potential dud into a sweetly engaging film", though she added that "it never fulfills its potential for being a shrewd satire of cross-generational manners".[4] Despite the negative reviews, Cameron won the Saturn Award for Best Young Actor.

Box office

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The film debuted at No. 2 behind Fatal Attraction.[5]

Soundtrack

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Home media

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Like Father Like Son was released on VHS in 1988 and re-released in 1991. The DVD was released by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment in 2004. The Double Feature 2-DVD Set with the film and Vice Versa by Columbia Pictures was released on October 7, 2008 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

References

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  1. ^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  2. ^ Roger Ebert (October 2, 1987). "Like Father Like Son". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. ^ Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide
  4. ^ Caryn James (October 2, 1987). "Film: Dudley Moore In 'Like Father Like Son'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  5. ^ "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
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