“Dutch” is about a man in love with a woman, who volunteers to pick up her spoiled kid from his private school when he refuses to come home for Thanksgiving. The film is directed by Peter Fairman, who directed “Crocodile Dundee,” and written and produced by John Hughes. The film has been accused of being Hughes-esque and formulaic; and it is. It borrows elements form several of Hughes’ previous efforts, most notably “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” and “Home Alone,” but somehow this is not a criticism. While not as seminal or flawless as those films, “Dutch” is an entertaining and sweet movie that still manages to bring some unique laughs to the table.
‘Dutch’ in this movie is a man, Dutch Dooley, played with flair by Ed O’Neill of “Married…With Children” fame. He’s rough around the edges, seen as he wears a flannel shirt and tie to his girlfriend Natalie’s (JoBeth Williams) holiday party, sneaking outside for a cigar while the rest of the patrons consume champagne and caviar. We are introduced to some other players as well, such as Doyle Standish, Natalie’s son, who, in a couple of quick scenes is showed to be an obnoxious, spoiled brat. He hangs up on his mother when she invites him to Thanskgiving, chastises another boy, “don’t you know how to knock,” and is so entitled he has zero friends at school, even though people try. We also meet Doyle’s father (Natalie and Reed are separated), played by Christopher McDonald, who once again plays the part of the über-villain in his portrayal of rich and entitled Reed. It’s not hard to see where Doyle gets his nasty attitude.
“Dutch” is a forced buddy road comedy, much like Hughes’ wonderful “Planes, Trains & Automobiles,” but brings some new things to the table that make it a worthwhile effort. The first thing it does right is in casting O’Neill, who is the perfect choice for Dutch and as a father figure for Doyle he is sorely missing. Doyle hates the working class; Dutch is working class and proud of it. “Is that bad?” Dutch asks of his lot in life, which Doyle nearly scoffs at. However, the movie approaches the divide between Dutch’s reality and Doyle’s snootiness with humor. One scene shows Doyle criticizing Dutch’s lifestyle and intelligence. However, as Hughes is known for, Dutch gives it right back to him. “There is one thing I can do that you can’t,” Dutch grins. “I can pay for my breakfast.”
What works about these characters is neither makes an apology for being what they are. While it’s clear early on that Dutch is no match financially for Natalie’s ex, he loves life and is successful in his own right, running a construction business. He’s also a kid, getting a kick out of smoking cigars, blowing up fireworks, and buying a pack of ‘racy’ playing cards. One funny scene shows Doyle leafing through these late at night. Under its sarcastic exterior, “Dutch” is a coming of age film amidst the chaos.
Doyle is played well by Ethan Embry, who would go on to star in the comedy “Can’t Hardly Wait,” but here is just detestable as a spoiled brat. Scenes where he beats the crap out of Dutch, ruins his car, or shoots him with a BB gun are rightly mean-spirited. But Dutch can hold his own. The funniest scene is certainly when Dutch walks out of the school with Doyle tied to a hockey stick, or the ominous way he lords the BB gun over Doyle, claiming he “owes him one.” While unbelievable, the two have a great chemistry together, and are just fun to watch. There’s no trace of O’Neill’s stereotyped husband from “Married…With Children;” he shows depth, and is just very likeable here. It’s a shame he more or less dropped off the radar after this film.
There are some criticisms of the movie, such as a script that keeps the two on the road where a quick call to Doyle’s mother may have saved the day, as well as McDonald’s character, who is so one-sided and evil he exists merely as a plot mechanism rather than flesh and blood character. But the film has its charms. As a road movie, the predicaments the two find themselves in are humorous, and the film resolves itself in a sweet way without going over the top. Will you need to watch “Dutch” every Thanksgiving? Probably not. But I liked this movie. It offers laughs, camaraderie, and its characters are better people by the end than at the film’s beginning. Not perfect, but a solid effort through and through.
– by Mark Ziobro
