Tom and Huck (1995)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Peter Hewitt

Writers (WGA):

Mark Twain (novel)
Stephen Sommers (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

Tagline:

The Original Bad Boys.

Plot:

A mischievous young boy, Tom Sawyer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas),witnesses a murder by the deadly Injun Joe. Tom...

Plot Keywords:

Cave | Missouri | Mud | Huck Finn | River

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jonathan Taylor Thomas	...	Tom Sawyer
Brad Renfro	...	Huck Finn
Eric Schweig	...	Injun Joe
Charles Rocket	...	Judge Thatcher
Amy Wright	...	Aunt Polly
Michael McShane	...	Muff Potter
Marian Seldes	...	Widow Douglas
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Becky Thatcher
Lanny Flaherty	...	Emmett
Courtland Mead	...	Cousin Sid
Peter Mackenzie	...	Mr. Sneed
Heath Lamberts	...	Schoolmaster Dobbins
William Newman	...	Doc Robinson
Joey Stinson	...	Joe Harper
Blake Heron	...	Ben Rodgers

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Tom and Huck
Tom Sawyer

MPAA:

Rated PG for some villainous acts and mild language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:12 | South Korea:All | Spain:T | UK:PG (video premiere) | USA:PG | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company:

Painted Fence Productions

Trivia:

During two months of Alabama filming, the production endured muggy heat, swarming bugs, a mysterious "killer" mulch that made several people sick, ferocious thunderstorms, and a tornado threat.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tom and Becky become engaged, they lean in one way to kiss each other, but in the next shot they're coming from the other angle.

Quotes:

Tom Sawyer: Hello Huck!
Huck Finn: Hello yourself and see how you like it.
Tom Sawyer: Watcha doin' down here?
Huck Finn: Lookin for jackasses.
Tom Sawyer: Under a bridge?
Huck Finn: I found one, didn't I?
Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn: [both laugh]

Movie Connections:

Version of Priklyucheniya Toma Soyera i Geklberri Finna (1981) (TV)

It looks real, but feels a bit fake

This version of the classic novel by Mark Twain makes a nice little movie, but fails to capture the humorous spirit of the book. Many hilarious scenes are missing and the writers have taken too many liberties with the plot.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas is wonderful as Tom Sawyer. Unfortunately his charm does not last until the very end of the movie, but seems to fade after a while. It might possibly have something to do with the fact, that, even though this movie is based on "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer", it's actually Huck's character that steals the whole show.

I had a bit of a problem with the way Huck Finn was portrayed in this movie. Of course Brad Renfro is a fantastic actor (his performance is probably the best thing about this film) and he manages to give Huck Finn many tragic and deep aspects. Unfortunately Mark Twain's Huck Finn is neither tragic or very deep. One can only wonder why Huck has been made the brooding hero, when it's actually Tom Sawyer, who is supposed to be the brightest star in this story.

Despite the many sugar-coated scenes and the fact that both Tom and Huck are a bit out-of-character, this movie is still something worth seeing. Injun Joe and Muff Potter are both realistic and Rachael Leigh Cook makes a brilliant and not-so-girly Becky Thatcher! The sets and wardrobe look very authentic, but they alone are not enough to bring the evergreen story wholly alive.