Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Dutch’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​When one thinks of Thanksgiving, certain images come to mind. There’s always a family in those images, sitting around the table with all of the fixings ready to roll, and everyone is smiling and laughing as they wait for the bird to arrive and once the turkey is placed upon the table and the father of this family slices it up, everyone can feast and chat and enjoy one another’s company for this is indeed a day designed to celebrate unity and give thanks for the family we’ve been blessed with and well, that really is a beautiful image to have when it comes to this sacred holiday.
 
However, that Norman Rockwell-esque vision of an Americana Thanksgiving isn’t always the reality when it comes to this holiday. Some folks celebrate the holiday alone, or away from their family with friends by way of a good old-fashioned Friendsgiving. Or, some families celebrate the holiday multiple times in the day because their core unit is no longer unified because of divorce. But whether you celebrate the holiday or not, what matters more on this day is that we do we indeed give thanks for what we have because in some form or fashion, we’ve been gifted with something wonderful in life and in 1991, a unique take on Thanksgiving and its overall meaning was explored by way of a movie named Dutch.
 
Now in this particular film we are introduced to an everyday guy named Dutch Dooley, who is doing pretty well for himself. He owns his own construction company, he’s dating a lovely woman named Natalie, and in order to show Natalie how much he cares for her, he offers to step in and help with a minor family problem involving her son from another marriage. Because if someone doesn’t head down to young Doyle’s school to pick him up for Thanksgiving, he’ll spend the holiday alone since his father will be away on business and while this seems like a simple task for Dutch, the spoiled brat that he meets in Doyle when he arrives at the little snob’s school means that he is going to be in for quite the ride back home, one that will likely change both Doyle and Dutch’s lives forever…

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​So, when this film was originally released in ’91, it was a critical dud and a box office bomb and well, I’m honestly not sure why because it actually has a lot to offer. First and foremost, the performances from Ethan Embry and Ed O’Neill, who play Doyle and Dutch respectively, are downright solid to say the least and their acting lays down the foundation for a surprisingly deep and powerful story about family, the holiday in question and what it means to be decent to one another, and those elements in my eyes, make this quite the beautiful film when all is said and done because it reminds us that the notion of family is fluid and that sometimes we choose who becomes part of our family and when they’re the right kind of person who can influence us, they can teach us wonders about the world.
 
Because despite Doyle’s garbage attitude toward Dutch for most of the movie, Dutch inadvertently reaches the young man without him knowing it, assuming the role of the father in this story and he’s able to help a hurt young man to open up in the process and well, Doyle learns a lot about the world because of this, and in turn, comes to understand what the holiday means as the story progresses in that, it’s about being grateful sometimes for just being able to walk upon this earth and it’s also about being thankful for having people to share our lives with in any capacity and it’s wonderful to watch Doyle slowly grow via Dutch’s life lessons and see him finally shed the brat persona that engulfs his soul when we first meet him in the film.
 
However, as is tradition with films written by John Hughes, there’s plenty of comedy to be found here as well, and that’s really what makes the film so endearing, for a lot of the comedic moments here are supremely down to earth and relatable and downright hilarious and well, when all is said and done, this really is quite the lovely little film. It’s got heart, it’s got laughs and it has beautiful meaning for the audience, if they so choose to embrace it and it’s one that I definitely recommend you see if you haven’t had the opportunity to do so since it offers a unique perspective on Thanksgiving and the wonder that comes with this special day. 

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