Hooper

Directed by Hal Needham, Hooper follows aging stuntman Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) as he finds himself forced to compete with an ambitious, up-and-coming stunt performer named Delmore ‘Ski’ Shidski (Jan-Michael Vincent). Filmmaker Needham, armed with Thomas Rickman and Bill Kerby’s screenplay, delivers a fun and freewheeling comedy that’s generally elevated by its high-energy set-pieces and compelling performances, and it’s clear, certainly, that the movie’s light-on-plot atmosphere is initially (and for the most part) rarely as problematic as one might’ve feared – with, as well, the ongoing emphasis on the central characters’ behind-the-scenes exploits going a long way towards cultivating a thoroughly watchable vibe. The proliferation of top-notch stuntwork, including a fantastic sequence wherein the protagonist drives backwards on a freeway, paves the way for a lighthearted opening hour that is, generally speaking, impossible to resist, and yet it’s equally apparent that Hooper eventually progresses into a sluggish second half that seems to be spinning its wheels in the buildup to its admittedly spellbinding climactic stretch – which ultimately cements the movie’s place as an erratically-paced (but mostly endearing) piece of work that receives plenty of mileage out of Reynolds’ often absurdly charismatic efforts.

**1/2 out of ****