It comes as little surprise that HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS is a crushing work of sentimental tripe, given that it's been produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Unlike the genuinely good family films of the 1980s, like THE GOONIES and THE MONSTER SQUAD, this reduces the cast to a screaming mess, a bunch of actors holed up in a house who spend the movie shouting and overacting for all their worth.
The subject of their consternation is the hulking bigfoot who ends up living with them for a time. While the bigfoot suit is admittedly impressive - as is the sheer size of the guy who plays it, the late Kevin Peter Hall, who also essayed the role of the Predator - the way he's turned into a bumbling, friendly giant is frankly embarrassing for this viewer.
I get that a lot of reviewers on here saw this as a kid so have a special place for it in their hearts; I'm the same with certain films despite their flaws. But coming into it as a cold-hearted adult, I'm afraid this is one for kids and kids alone; even the normally reliable likes of John Lithgow and David Suchet embarrass themselves in the overacting stakes. And from what I remember of it, the ensuing TV series is poor too with limited and repetitive jokes.
The subject of their consternation is the hulking bigfoot who ends up living with them for a time. While the bigfoot suit is admittedly impressive - as is the sheer size of the guy who plays it, the late Kevin Peter Hall, who also essayed the role of the Predator - the way he's turned into a bumbling, friendly giant is frankly embarrassing for this viewer.
I get that a lot of reviewers on here saw this as a kid so have a special place for it in their hearts; I'm the same with certain films despite their flaws. But coming into it as a cold-hearted adult, I'm afraid this is one for kids and kids alone; even the normally reliable likes of John Lithgow and David Suchet embarrass themselves in the overacting stakes. And from what I remember of it, the ensuing TV series is poor too with limited and repetitive jokes.