Touchstone Plus-Or-Minus: Turner & Hooch

Ron Howard’s Splash, the very first release from what was then known as Touchstone Films, turned journeyman TV funnyman Tom Hanks into a bona fide movie star. But it didn’t catapult him onto the A-list overnight. His next several films were a mixed bag of modest hits (Bachelor Party, The Money Pit, Nothing In Common and Dragnet) and flops and disappointments (The Man With One Red Shoe, Volunteers and the barely released Every Time We Say Goodbye). Audiences and some critics liked him in the right role. While I have a soft spot for all of these movies, even I have to admit that Tom Hanks hadn’t quite found his footing yet.

In 1988, his career got a boost with the release of Big, a massive hit that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Later that same year, he tried his hand at a more dramatic role in Punchline, a movie I personally feel is criminally underrated but did not connect with audiences or critics. In early 1989, he starred in Joe Dante’s The ‘Burbs. The movie started strong but was probably always destined for cult movie status (which it has since earned) and quickly fizzled out.

Tom Hanks’ movie career appeared to be spinning its wheels a little bit. And so, he did what any actor looking to cement their status as a major talent would do. He teamed up with a massive, slobbery dog for a buddy cop movie.