User reviews

This great 90's film has it all. great story, great direction and great acting by all. In this road trip movie you'll find comedy, likable non flat characters who feed of each other, and a very solid story. Go watch it with your family on a cold winter's evening and i promise you will not regret it.

When people think of the works of writer/director John Hughes they think of 'Breakfast Club', 'Ferris Bueller' etc, but if you look beyond that you'll find there are some real underappreciated gems, and 'Dutch' is one of them.

It's a real mix of other Hughes films - a bit 'Uncle Buck', a bit 'Planes, Trains...' and with a fair few 'Home Alone' elements thrown in too, but it amounts to a funny, often heart-warming film, that deserved/deserves better acclaim.

Well worth a watch.

The chemistry between Ed O'Niel as 'Dutch' and Ethan Randall as 'Doyle' is excellent. It makes the movie work, whereas other lesser talents would have produced a ho-hum movie. The excellence is not always found in the script, and these two actors bring a mediocre script up to the level of excellent. The young actor 'Ethan Randall' that played Doyle is in reality none other than 'Ethan Embry', the actor who played 'Frank Smith' on the circa-2003 version of 'L.A. Dragnet', costarring with Ed O'Niel once again!

Unfortunately, Ethan Embry was replaced in the second season of 'Dragnet' by an entire roster of new (and boring) actors...including the yet-to-be-desperate housewife Eva Longoria!

Those two work well together.

Dutch is fantastic because Ed O'Neill, the star of the movie, is a fantastic comedian, and an underrated one at that (but then again, Hollywood does recycle the same cast over and over, so it's no surprised you never see him in too many major motion pictures). And though Christopher MacDonald, who play's Doyle's father is a real creep, he is a great comedian as well, and you just can't help to laugh whenever this guy is around (uh...that's a good thing).

This is the early part of John Hughes's transition into strictly doing family films. He passed the teenage films (the brat pack series), then films with slightly younger supporting and main casts (Uncle Buck, Curly Sue, Dutch), and then went straight for the youngest-aged family film series (Home Alone, Baby's Day Out, etc). The early part of the John Hughes family film series, which started somewhere around 1989/1990 and continued into the early 90s, are comedies that I still enjoy watching (I haven't cared to watch many of his later movies because Baby's Day Out and Beethoven, etc. just doesn't interest me). They had two great elements: the social commentary (though it tends to be repeated in many of his films/screenplays), and the comedy element.

Disappointed that his father (Christopher MacDonald) is in London (on a supposed "business trip", which translates into a holiday with a woman instead of his son) and won't be spending time with him on Thanskgiving, spoiled-brat Doyle (Ethan Embry) decides that he doesn't want to spend the holiday with his mother, either. They don't get along well, especially considering he is more like a mirror of his incredibly obnoxious father, while his mother (Jo Beth Williams) is a sensitive, kinder woman who just wants to get along with her son. Don't worry, 'Dutch' is on the case!

Dutch (Ed O'Neill) is sort of a bafoon character (as we see from the introduction at the party where he engages in something like a mini version of Peter Sellers in 'The Party'). But, he's a good-natured fellow with a heart of gold. He'd have to be to make a promise to Doyle's mom that he'd bring the boy home for the holidays (Doyle goes to private school).

It proves to be no easy task. Not at all. Since Doyle doesn't want to come home at all, let alone with his mother's goofy boyfriend. Doyle despises Dutch because Doyle comes from major money (Dutch works in construction) and sees himself as a much classier person than Dutch (who can get pretty gross when he wants...if only to annoy Doyle). But, Dutch is going to do whatever it takes (and it takes a lot) not only to keep his promise to Doyle's mother, but to try and get the tense little boy to lighten up and see that the world is not entirely against him. So there, you have the typical elements of Hughest: 1) social commentary via class divisions; and 2) unecessary youth angst.

With a guy like Ed O'Neill, who even offers some great slapstick comedy, you can be sure that you'll be in for a lot of laughs. This guy truly is one underrated actor.

About fifteen minutes into this movie I was thinking, "This kid needs a darn good spanking" but all he really needed was a little love and someone to listen and this changes him more than any thing. And that's all kids and teens really need. This film displays that. The kid's actions made some of my friends leave the room right in the middle of it, but if you look past these mischievious doings you can really see that it is a cry for help. Critics, I think were too harsh and really did not see was Hughes was trying to say. Ed O'Neil and Ethan Embry are very talented and they make a great team. This film has a good message behind it and recommend it to every one.

This is basically Planes, Trains & Automobiles meets Uncle Buck meets Overboard, with a dash of Home Alone thrown in. Ed O'Neill is competent in the "likeable loser" role (see: Al Bundy), but that role really belongs to John Candy (who was in three of the four aforementioned movies) and one can't help but think things might have clicked better here if he were in it. This is a watchable albeit fairly generic film. Part of the problem is that the writers spend too much time emphasizing the stereotypes of the leads (Dutch is a rough-around-the-edges blue collar worker, Doyle is the spoiled, bratty rich kid) at the expense of producing laughs. It probably didn't help matters for Ed O'Neill any that he was essentially upstaged by his Married...With Children co-star Christina Applegate that year as "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead" would fare much better than this. Dutch is a worth a view on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but don't expect anything groundbreaking here.

Yes, John Hughes, the writer and co-producer of this thing, may be clearly recycling "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" to a degree, but this variation still works due to entertaining and endearing characters, and some very good moments along the way.

Ed O'Neill is a hoot in the lead role of "Dutch" Dooley, an amiable working class lug dating Natalie Standish (JoBeth Williams), who married into the upper class. Natalie's got a son named Doyle (Ethan Embry, then still using his birth name Ethan Randall) enrolled in a far away prep school, and the kid is a stuck up, insufferable brat with a contempt and hatred for practically the whole world. So the tension is there from the beginning when agreeable Dutch volunteers to drive the kid home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. He hates Dutchs' guts at first, but it goes without saying that the journey is going to change not only his opinion of the man but the way he views things in general.

Assorted episodes include Dutch setting off firecrackers in a field, an automobile mishap, Dutch & Doyle hitching a ride with a pair of seemingly benevolent hookers (Ari Meyers, Elizabeth Daily), and the films' highlight, a scene in a homeless shelter. Some of the humor comes from taking a refined individual out of his element as Doyle is obliged to order food at a diner and later is overly neat with his utensils at the shelter (prompting Dutch to come up with the quip, "Would you like to see a wine list?"). Doyle comes to realize that there are good people in the world from all walks of life, and lets go of that pent-up hostility, while also learning the hard truth about his undependable father Reed (Christopher McDonald, once again playing a jerk to perfection).

O'Neill and Embry prove to be a good team as we wait for the kids' icy exterior to start melting; Dutch is a basically good, honest, and straightforward man who also helps Doyle finally find the child inside. Lovely scenery from various U. S. locations - in Tennessee, Illinois, and Georgia - is a big plus, as well as Alan Silvestris' music.

All in all, this is an appealing road comedy that does deserve a place as a seasonal favorite.

Seven out of 10.

I really like Dutch and watch it every year around thanksgiving. The young boy in this movie has to be the most obnoxious character I have ever seen portrayed by a child actor. However as the film went on it was great seeing him transform into a kid with some heart and you warm up to him.

This is one of my favourite movies to watch at Christmas.

Plot In A Paragraph: Dutch Dooley (The brilliant Ed O'Neill) goes on a cross country road trip to pick up his girl friends obnoxious twelve year old son Doyle (who is refusing to come home for Thanksgiving) from boarding school.

I don't understand why this movie flopped as bad as it did, I for one love it, as do both of my kids 16 and 9.

Ed O'Neill is as brilliant as he always is (this was released at the height of his TV show "Married With Children" popularity) to some he'll always be Al Bundy, but there is more to O'Neill than that. He is an absolute delight here. Ethan Embry is excellent as both sides to Doyle, it's always nice to see the lovely JoBeth Williams and Christopher McDonald is at his sleazy best whilst an attractive Ari Meyers leaves a lasting impression as Brock.

Beautiful shot showing some great scenic shots of America this has a lot of laughs, I still laugh out loud at certain parts of this movie over twenty years later.

Writer-producer John Hughes is back again with yet another collection of smart-aleck kids and stupid adults. This time around the boy is a rich brat who needs to be taught a lesson by his aggressively blue collar, surrogate dad, played by Ed O'Neill (who gets a knee jerk laugh of recognition from fans of the TV sit-com 'Married…With Children'). His job is to chaperon the ungrateful whippersnapper home to Chicago from his Southern prep school for Thanksgiving, but of course they hate each other on sight, and have to endure a predictable bonding routine after the usual battery of abuse: comic relief kicks in the groin and so forth. Peter Faiman ('Crocodile Dundee') gets the director's credit, but make no mistake: the film belongs to Hughes, who certainly knows by now how to recycle a formula. It's all been done before of course, and even those less discriminating viewers at whom the film is aimed won't fail to notice how quickly it lapses into the same, tired clichés.

DUTCH, in my opinion, is an excellent comedy about an unlikely friendship between a teenage boy and his mother's boyfriend. If you ask me, Doyle (Ethan Randall) was an absolute snob! That kid really need to learn respect! However, in my opinion, every mishap that occurred on his journey home with Dutch (Ed O'Neill) was absolutely hilarious. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that everyone was ideally cast, the direction was flawless, and production design was spectacular, and the performances were top-grade. Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this comedy about an unlikely friendship between a teenage boy and his mother's boyfriend.

Though not in the same vein as some of Ed O'Neill's funnier work, "Dutch" is harmless as good comedic entertainment. O'Neill plays working class goof Dutch Dooley, about to embark on the road trip from hell as he clashes with his girlfriend's snobby son (Ethan Randall), whom he was sent to pick up from an upper-class private school for Thanksgiving. There are plenty of hilarious and dare one say touching moments throughout the film that provide great, harmless entertainment while never becoming too soppy with the sentimental material. O'Neill flexes his working class characters without resorting to immitations of his Al Bundy character. Aside from good comedy, "Dutch" reminds the audience, "Nothing burps better than bacon."

Brash working-class Dutch Dooley (Ed O'Neill) attends a high-class party with girlfriend Natalie Standish (JoBeth Williams). She doesn't get along with her rich ex-husband Reed (Christopher McDonald). He's abandoning Thanksgiving with their son Doyle (Ethan Embry) to go to London. Dutch volunteers to drive him home to Chicago from his boarding school in Georgia. He's looking to befriend Doyle who turns out to be an entitled brat disliked by the other kids and a spoiled snob just like his dad. It's a crazy road trip with hookers Brock (Ari Meyers) and Hailey (Elizabeth Daily).

John Hughes is trying to write an odd couple road trip. The problem is that neither of these characters are that appealing. Ed O'Neill needs to dial back his brash working stiff mantra and his gruff mannerisms. Somebody should play the straight man and Dutch should probably be that guy. He doesn't have to be a nice guy but he should be some sort of mentor. Once the hookers show up especially with a very young one, the movie's family creds are put in doubt. The comedy suffers from its lack of likability.

I have watched this film so many time and I'm so happy that it finally came out on DVD(I actually never taught it would but thanks to "Anchor bay entertainment" it did) The trailer of the movie describe really well what the movie is about "The story of a boy who lost the child in himself and the man that helps him find it". It's my favorite movie written by John Huges and I'm a big John Huges fan. Ethan Randall/Embry plays his part really well,he was perfect for the role of Doyle,he made the transition between the angry rude Doyle of the beginning of the film to the normal 12 year old kid you see at the end looks very natural and his chemistry with Ed Oneil is fantastic.

Ed Oneil one of the most underrated actor in America just because of his Al Bundy persona.I Love Ed,I grew up watching Married with...and I have seen most of his other project,including the new yet short lived "Dragnet" TV show.That guy got style and he's ten times more talented than some of the guys you see on the big screen these days,I'm looking forward to his next project.Dutch was in my opinion his best role so far.

Well this film his a classic in my book and it has a great message to it. I'll give it a 9 out of 10.

This film sort of reminds me of the film "Over the Top" without the sweaty men arm wrestling and smacking themselves to psyche up for their next match. This is a very good thing. This film is also a comedy and not an overly serious drama, sorry but a travel film such as this should be a comedy rather than a sappy drama. This film does get sappy here and there, but not as bad as that one. The reason I compare the two is because it has two men going after a military kid on behalf of the mother. Granted the mother was dying in "Over the Top" I still find the two similar. This one has O'Neil of "Married With Children" fame as the new boyfriend of a mom. He offers to go pick up her son at a military type school so that they can bond. Well things of course do not go as planned as you end up with a bit of a crazy trip. Though nowhere near as crazy as the trip John Candy and Steve Martin had in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." The kid has a bit of a problem with his mom and worships his dad, who is actually a bit of a stand offish type, not really involving himself in his son's life other than the phone call promising he will be there for sure next time type. The comedy is rather good, but it suffers from its similarities to the superior "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" movie. You see some of the same jokes, however they don't have the edge of that movie. Still, it is a tolerable enough flick though they kind of made fun of it on "Married with Children" as the wife spots the movie on sale at a really low price an she kind of dismisses it completely. However, I do not think it is worthy of that kind of scorn as it has some good moments, "Over the Top" on the other hand deserves its scorn.

To get to know his girlfriend's son (Ethan Embry), a working-class good guy (Ed O'Neill) volunteers to pick him up from a prep school -- only to learn that her son is not the nicest kid.

This film has an impressive pedigree. The director, Peter Faiman, is not well known, but he was the director of "Crocodile Dundee", which makes him a small legend. And the writer was John Hughes, a giant in the industry.

"Dutch" received extremely poor reviews from critics, where it has a 14% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 3.7 out of 10 from 21 reviews. It was also a flop at the box office, grossing less than $5 million compared to its $17 million budget. Despite poor reception from critics, the film has garnered a cult following (as is common for Hughes films).

Yet, another movie were the antagonist takes advantage of the protagonist's mistakes, and tries to make comical situations out of it, but ending up just failing. It reminds me of "Home Alone 2" were some of the falling scenes sounding like failed punches from a comic book movie. The iconic "cracking of the nose" and other stupid sounds. The only difference between this and "Home Alone 2" is that at least "Home Alone 2" was funny.

I know I gave this movie two and a half stars, but for the wrong reason. Let me just say that excluding Ed O'Neill, I hate every character in the movie. The two and a half stars basically go to him since I'm a sucker to see him in movies and portray his funny, middle class self. But this movie got on my last nerve in points.

Lets stop and think about how many times we have seen this before, let alone in a John Hughes movie. It's almost like they tried to continue Uncle Buck in points of the film. This movie is very hard to relate to seeing as this kid is spoiled, and yet still miserable. This kid as an annoying, smart ass tone to him which make you want to punch the kid. Plus with a sucker mother, and a comical father, he's not living royalty.

Dutch Dooley (Ed O'Neill) has a relationship with single mother Natalie (JoBeth Williams). Making a promise to his girlfriend, he agrees to drive to pick up her twelve-year-old son, Doyle Standish (Ethan Embry) from his private school in hopes that the drive back they will become friends. I have to stop and note that Doyle reminds me of that bratty kid from Full House that had and elegant way of talking and just a certain way of saying everything in a know-it-all way.

Then....you guessed it. Doyle and Dutch have a less than brotherly relationship together. In fact, there like two kids fighting over the front seat in the car. The one kid instigates (Dutch), or the guy who tries to have a relationship with the other one, but in an unnatural way. Or like the guy who says "ha ha, I got the front seat." Doyle tries to be mature about it, but yes, in the wrong way. He says things in an annoying way just to be an instigator.

This movie is not original at all, it's the same recycled concept we have seen on the big screen and in real life. You know what will happen. The mom's got a new boyfriend, the boyfriend tries to be nice to the kid, the kid pulls juvenile pranks on the adult, the adult takes no grown up charge towards it, then they work it out, movies over, wasted $10. I think thats all the nit-picking I can do on this. In all honesty, this isn't bad, but I've said this before, it goes in every way you would expect it. There's no uniqueness toward the movie.

But I will go as far as saying, it's a watchable John Hughes movie. But it doesn't live up to the other forgotten ones like Curly Sue, Flubber, The Great Outdoors, and my second favorite John Hughes movie, Career Opportunities. I also have to be honest in saying that I laughed in parts of this movie. Plus there were a few parts in this that actually stood out that when I look at the title Dutch I'll remember this movie.

Starring: Ed O'Neill, Ethan Randall, JoBeth Williams, and Christopher McDonald. Directed by: Peter Faiman.

Natalie Standish (JoBeth Williams) shares custody of her arrogant and spoiled son Doyle (Ethan Embry credited as Ethan Randall) with her ex-husband Reed (Christopher McDonald) and is now involved with new boyfriend Dutch Dooley (Ed O'Neill) since divorcing Reed. With Reed backing out of his promise to spend Thanksgiving with Doyle and Doyle voicing opposition to spending it with Natalie whom he blames for the divorce, Dutch takes it upon himself to bring Doyle back even as he fights tooth and nail against it.

Dutch is a 1991 road dramedy written and produced by the prolific John Hughes. Directed by Peter Faiman of the sleeper hit Crocodile Dundee and serving as a test vehicle for Ed O'Neill who'd come to prominence with the sitcom Married...with Children, the film would be dumped into a Summer 1991 release date where it opened in a disastrous 10th place behind several holdovers as Terminator 2 dominated the box office and would be a misstep for Hughes during the 90s. Many critics panned the film for its unlikable characters and rehashing of prior Hughes' works (in particular Planes, Trains, and Automobiles) and while the film does have a small cult following it's largely seen as a footnote in Hughes' career. While the film does feature some inspired comic setpieces and fantastic performances by O'Neill and Embry, it also makes itself hard to like thanks to an aggressively unlikable character and its retreading of ground by Hughes' previous (and very similar) Thanksgiving road dramedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Starting off on a positive note, Ed O'Neill is really great as the titular Dutch and the film is a solid showcase of how likable of a leading man he can be outside of his Al Bundy role. While on the surface O'Neill seems like a bumbling working class simpleton (with a particularly inspired Chaplin-esque bit involving fireworks), much like Del Grifith from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles there's a lot more going on beneath the surface than Doyle, several side characters, and the audience give him credit for and in a way it's almost like he's a comedy version of Columbo especially with Doyle being a very arrogant "well-to-do" character who takes pride in lording his airs of intelligence and status above anyone and everyone. This is however where we get the biggest problem with the movie in Doyle. There's certainly parallels to be made between Doyle and Steve Martin's Neal Page in that both are from privileged backgrounds who take a snide view of blue collar individuals whilst also being completely hopeless when pushed out of their upper class comforts zones, but in Doyle's case the human factor is buried way too deep beneath the abrasive exterior. While Embry is a good actor and gives the performance solid work and with strong chemistry with O'Neill, Hughes' writing really falters as Doyle is so bereft of redeeming qualities that it's probably the most unlikable character he's created since Jim Dodge from Career Opportunities (released the same year as this funnily enough). When we're introduced to Doyle he's shown to be vindictive and spiteful especially in how he places an inordinate amount of blame on his mother for the divorce while giving his absentee father a free pass and the only humanizing element we see is him taking a pair of scissors to a picture of him and his mother but then hesitating and not doing it. I will say however that unlike Career Opportunities the movie benefits from having a character to play against Doyle with Dutch giving him a not altogether undeserved taste of his own medicine, but much like how that film struggled to balance the comedy and drama so to does Dutch as the more slapstick shenanigans never gelled with the scenes of pathos in the same way Hughes' made them work previously.

If you're a fan of Hughes' work, Dutch might be worth a viewing as a curiosity since it's the final film of this type Hughes' would make before focusing exclusively on family comedies and it does feature impressive work from O'Neill and Embry with some inspired setpieces such as the fireworks scene. A lesser film in the Hughes' canon, but much better than Career Opportunities.

The film is reminiscent of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, another fine Hughes film. The touch of introspective melancholy towards the end; the odd couple traveling; the disastrous clashes of personality -- all of it is in tune with the earlier Candy/Martin film.

How does it differ? New subtleties of character are examined. We are treated to a portrait of a young man as an intractable nemesis, turned good-natured at last. And, we see the great Al Bundy in a more respectable guise. Entertaining.

On the positive side, it started out quite well in the first act or so. The story deals with a stepfather who wants to go on a road trip to pick up his future stepson. The stepson is a spoiled brat in a boarding school who refuses to go, but is forced to anyway. The two of them bond through various situations where they're delayed from transportation and find ways to make it home again, with inevitable changes of heart towards each other. It was not as funny as Planes, Trains and Automobiles or as well paced. After the first act, parts meandered and the kid wasn't funny. I like the stepfather Dutch, but some scenes were abrupt and even the last scene cut too soon.