Harry and the Hendersons

This article is about the film. For the TV series, see Harry and the Hendersons (TV series).

Harry and the Hendersons
Theatrical poster
Directed by	William Dear
Produced by	William Dear Richard Vane Steven Spielberg
Written by	William Dear William E. Martin Ezra D. Rappaport
Starring	John Lithgow Melinda Dillon Margaret Langrick Joshua Rudoy Kevin Peter Hall Lainie Kazan Don Ameche M. Emmet Walsh David Suchet
Music by	Bruce Broughton
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Editing by	Donn Cambern
Studio	Amblin Entertainment
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release date(s)	June 5, 1987 (1987-06-05)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$16 million
Box office	$49,998,613 (worldwide)

Harry and the Hendersons is a 1987 American comedy film directed and produced by William Dear, and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Lainie Kazan and Don Ameche. It is the story of a family's encounter with the cryptozoological creature Bigfoot. The film won an Academy Award for Best Makeup, and inspired a follow-up TV series, also called Harry and the Hendersons.

The film was originally released as Bigfoot and the Hendersons in the United Kingdom, though the TV series retained the American title. The DVD and all current showings of the movie in the UK now refer to the movie by its original title.

Bruce Broughton composed the music throughout the entire film, and Joe Cocker performs "Love Lives On" (later released in 1989) during the end credits. The film earned mostly mixed reviews and was a modest success at the box office during its release, but has since gone on to earn a cult following amongst fans.

Plot

On their way home to Seattle from a camping trip, the Hendersons accidentally run over a strange and unknown creature. Realizing it might be the legendary Bigfoot creature and thinking it's dead, they strap it to the roof of their station wagon and take it home. The creature is not dead, and initially causes havoc in the Henderson household when it wakes. Eventually, the creature sees the Hendersons are not hostile towards it, and the family realizes that the creature is actually very gentle. Given the name "Harry", the creature becomes emotionally confused and runs off into the city. Sightings of him strike fear into the populace. In their attempts to keep Harry a secret, the Hendersons have to hide him from the authorities and a man, who has made it his goal in life, to catch a "bigfoot". The Hendersons, with the help of Dr. Wrightwood, a once disillusioned and embittered ex-scientist and Bigfoot-believer, come to realize that the best thing for Harry is to return him to his home in the wilderness. Doing so, they strengthen their friendship with Harry and change the heart of the primary antagonist in the film. In the final scenes, the Hendersons and their new friends are amazed to see Harry received by more of his fellow species as he returns home. The movie portrays Bigfoot not as a monster, but a gentle and loving friend. Harry becomes a remembered family member and friend instead of an "animal".

Cast

• John Lithgow as George Henderson
• Melinda Dillon as Nancy Henderson
• Margaret Langrick as Sarah Henderson
• Joshua Rudoy as Ernie Henderson
• Kevin Peter Hall as Harry
• Lainie Kazan as Irene Moffat
• Don Ameche as Dr. Wallace Wrightwood
• M. Emmet Walsh as George Henderson Sr.
• David Suchet as Jacques LaFleur

Awards

• Academy Awards
  • Best Makeup (Won)

Box office

Harry and the Hendersons opened third behind Beverly Hills Cop II and The Untouchables. It went on to gross $29.7 million domestically and $20.2 million abroad to a total of $49.9 million worldwide.

Re-release

The film was re-released in January 2011 in DVD entitled "Harry and The Hendersons Special Edition."

Reception

The response from critics was mostly mixed. It has received a rating of 44% on Rotten Tomatoes with 10/17 user reviews being negative.

External links

• Harry and the Hendersons at the Internet Movie Database
• Harry and the Hendersons at Box Office Mojo