Like Father Like Son (1987)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Rod Daniel

Writers:

Steve Bloom (writer)
Lorne Cameron (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

Chris and his dad have accidentally changed bodies - but no big deal. Chris gets the Jag and the Gold Card. Dad gets the fake ID and the bio final.

Plot:

A mysterious potion switches the personalities of a buttoned up doctor and his laid back son.

Plot Keywords:

Child As Adult | Remake | Childbirth | Role Reversal | Soul Transference

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Dudley Moore	...	Dr. Jack Hammond
Kirk Cameron	...	Chris Hammond
Margaret Colin	...	Ginnie Armbruster
Catherine Hicks	...	Dr. Amy Larkin
Patrick O'Neal	...	Dr. Larry Armbruster
Sean Astin	...	Clarence / Trigger
Camille Cooper	...	Lori Beaumont
Micah Grant	...	Rick Anderson, Lori's Boyfriend
Bill Morrison	...	Trigger's Uncle Earl
Skeeter Vaughan	...	Medicine Man
Larry Sellers	...	Navajo Helper
Tami David	...	Navajo Girl
Maxine Stuart	...	Phyllis, Hammonds' Housekeeper
David Wohl	...	Dr. Roger Hartwood
Michael Horton	...	Dr. Mike O'Donald

Runtime:

96 min | UK:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10/7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Amboy, Mojave Desert, California, USA

Company:

Imagine Films Entertainment

Trivia:

One of five body-swap movies all released around the same time. The others were Big (1988), 18 Again! (1988), Vice Versa (1988) and Dream a Little Dream (1989).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Chris (Dr. Hammond) is delivering the baby, he picks it up immediately after the birth to reveal that the umbilical cord has already healed, and the baby is perfectly clean and dry.

Quotes:

Trigger: The name's Trigger, as in "horse," as in "hung like."

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "American Dad!: Rough Trade (#1.17)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

All in the Name

entertaining

I enjoy this movie, I like it even better than Vice Versa, although Leonard Maltin gave it no stars. The biggest exception I noticed about his film, is how Kirk Cameron (Chris Hammond) was only 16, and a senior in high school, 17 in the movie. When in a majority of flicks the actors that age are in the early or mid twenties and look way too old. it's what a real high school looks like, and Clarence (Sean Astin-Samwise, Lord of the Rings Trilogy) his wacky, sarcastic friend, was in this when he was fifteen or sixteen, making him look actually a little young to be a senior. He is the one responsible for the body change, snatching an ancient potion from his archaeologist uncle. Chris' dad, Jack (Dudley Moore) is a heart surgeon, on the verge of being named chief of staff. And Chris is on his biology exam not seeming to have much of a clue what he's talking about, and is an average student. But then they switch bodies and Chris is in his dad's body and his dad has to go to school cause he's in Chris' body, and is really studious in his classes, even smarter than the teachers! While Chris in his dad's body doesn't have the slightest clue what he's doing as a heart surgeon, and has no sophisticated vocabulary, and parties like a child/teenager. Chris has bully problems at school and has to face up to a huge old looking kid who says "dickhead" And the kids at school think Chris is a dork, as his father, but the interns at the hospital think he's a lot of fun, chewing gum, driving a jeep, and taking them out for pizza and beer. The chief-of-staff's wife, a good 25-years younger than him, cheats on her husband and screws around with Jack' in Chris body, which leads to catastrophe. Anyway, I really like this movie. Here are some reasons why, and also why, I think it was superior to the others and should of gotten three stars, if not more. Despite the acting and script being considered inferior, this is the only one that makes me truly "happy" when watching it, it is set in southern California where the sun is always shining during the day. Sean Astin was in this at a young age, the kid is a teenager, and not a child, so there's two girlfriends in the movie. it is priceless watching Dudley Moore party and laugh watching MTV, and dance on the kitchen table to rock and roll. It teaches something about American History and how Okay became a word, through Chris' lecture in his dad's body at school. The interns have a bawl with Jack in Chris' body after work, eating pizza and drinking, Jack, Chris and Clarence go on a little vacation to get the antidote near the end of the movie, and he and his dad, hug each other and Cameron cries on cue, before the conclusion. Am I forgetting anything?