Harry and the Hendersons
Tags: comedy

Plot synopsis:
George Henderson (John Lithgow) is returning to his Seattle home with his family from a camping trip in the nearby Cascade mountains when they hit something with the family station wagon. George investigates, and discovers to his horror and awe, that they have hit a Sasquatch. Thinking they have killed it, they decide to take the creature home, strapping it to the roof of their car. Meanwhile, a mysterious hunter has been tracking the creature and discovers the Hendersons' license plate, which fell off when they hit the creature.
Later that night, George goes out to the garage to examine the creature and discovers that it is not dead, and has escaped. He hears noises from his kitchen and sees the creature, which has knocked over the fridge looking for food. The family realizes that the creature is friendly and kind. George has a change of heart; at first he wished to make money from the creature, but now decides to take him back to the wild. Naming the creature "Harry," George tries to lure him into the station wagon, but Harry believes that the Hendersons mean him harm and instead he disappears.
Saddened, the family resume their normal lives, but sightings of Harry become more frequent and the media fervor heightens. George tries to find Harry in order to keep him safe. George visits the "North American Museum of Anthropology" to speak with Dr. Wallace Wrightwood, an expert on Bigfoot, but is disheartened when he realizes its ramshackle state. Giving his number to the clerk (Don Ameche) inside the Museum, George resumes his search for Harry. The hunter from the woods is Jacques LaFleur (David Suchet), a legendary hunter who became obsessed with Bigfoot and has hunted for one ever since becoming a laughingstock. LaFleur tracks down the Hendersons and is closer to finding Harry.
After a Harry sighting, George goes into the city to search for him. Meanwhile, the police are dealing with the "Bigfoot Mania" by apprehending several local enthusiasts that are hunting Bigfoot, in case the Bigfoot in question is someone dressed in a costume. Following a car chase, George is able to save Harry from LaFleur, and LaFleur is arrested by police officers. When George brings Harry home, he and the Hendersons bury the hunting trophies and pay their respects to the dead animals that were converted into hunting trophies.
The next morning, the neighbors notice hair in the Hendersons pool, and Harry is seen being dried off while watching The Addams Family. In jail, LaFleur calls someone and tells him to secure his immediate release because he has a lead on Bigfoot. George calls Dr. Wrightwood from the museum and invites him to dinner to speak about Bigfoot. At dinner, the museum clerk is revealed to be Dr. Wrightwood, having also become a laughingstock. Dr. Wrightwood tells George and the family to give up on Bigfoot, as it has destroyed his life and will destroy theirs, but then he meets Harry, and instantly agrees to take him to safety, away from the city. By this time, LaFleur has been bailed of jail and heads to the Henderson house. George and Harry escape the house with Dr. Wrightwood in his old truck. LaFleur gives chase and eventually catches up with the Henderson family.
Fleeing back to the mountains, George tries to make Harry leave, going so far as to hit Harry. Confused and upset, Harry does not leave. LaFleur catches up to them and attacks the Hendersons dog. Harry attacks LaFleur, but George intervenes. Through George's faith and Harry's kindness, LaFleur changes his mind and decides that Harry deserves to live peacefully. As the family says goodbye, George thanks Harry for all he has done for the family and tells him to take care of himself to which Harry replies "OK" (his first spoken words). As Harry leaves, several other Sasquatches appear from their hiding places and also disappear into the wilderness with him, to the amazement of the Hendersons. When Dr. Wrightwood asks LaFleur what he's going to do next, LaFleur quotes "I don't know. There's always Loch Ness." As the two of them laugh at that comment, the Hendersons keep waving goodbye to Harry.
During the credits, there is rotoscoping of different scenes of the movie.

Review: In fact, it touched me so much to see how something that is often portrayed as scary was so gentle and caring.From the introduction when Harry is first discovered (in a rather unfortunate way) to the end of the movie, the Hendersons learn that Harry is more human than they ever thought, and that he has a bigger heart than the human race combined.Throughout the film, the effect that Harry has on people's lives is always seen.
Their original feelings of the "Beast" all quashed swiftly to realize that inside of it lay a big heart.Harry's compassion, love for other beings and respect for life made this film an absolute delight to watch.
I whole heartedly recommend this for anybody looking for a family film that not only warms the heart, but also teaches a lesson of who is really the monster on Earth..
You will fall in love with Harry and wish that Bigfoot / Sasquatch was real.
If you have kids and want to watch a movie everyone will like this is a definite buy.
Harry and the Hendersons is one of the first films I remember seeing in the cinema as a kid.
But it makes my original memory of this film so much more nostalgic.The Hendersons consist of wannabe artist/gun salesman dad George (that always brilliant John Lithgow), loving mum Melinda Dillon, a bratty daughter and a hyperactive son.
But the bear has man-like hands and George suddenly asks his family 'What if it's...HIM'.Bigfoot!
So he sneaks down to the garage with a measuring tape only to find that he's no longer strapped to the roof of the car, but poking around in the kitchen fridge.The Hendersons stand back as bigfoot (or Harry as he is later renamed) stomps around the house and garden investigating all their strange belongings.
Freaking out, George tries to snipe Harry from through the bedroom window, but has a change of heart when he realises that Harry is just big, harmless oaf.The best scenes of the film involve Harry making himself at home in the Henderson house.
He constantly looks a bit nervous and uncomfortable but is always ready to grab you for a big hug.Rick Baker deservedly took home an Academy Award for Best Make-Up Effects back in 1988 for this movie.
I so want my own Bigfoot.Even now as an adult I think this movie is still great.
As a kid I remember feeling the panic and excitement when Harry got lost in Seattle and the half-crazed Bigfoot hunter Jacques LaFleur (David Suchet) doing lots of sleaziness in order to have him shot, gutted and sold to science.
Forgive the repeated comparison, but to me it was more involving and fun than the man with the keys in E.T.You just don't get family movies like this anymore.
Back in the 80's Steven Spielberg's Amblin production company made loads of great family movies like Gremlins, Goonies, the Back to the Future Trilogy, Young Sherlock Holmes and Innerspace.
Like the Patterson/Gimlin film that inspired it, Harry and the Hendersons is one movie that will be timeless forever..
The conclusion is both heartbreaking and heartwarming — not your typical family-film ending, but too perfect to be rewritten.
A true "Family Movie", John Lithgow & Harry are a great combo!.
"Harry" a bigfoot, unintentionally becomes part of the Henderson family as they try to figure out what to do with a 500 lb.
And, by the end of the movie, you'll just plain cry as the family struggles with the tough choice between keeping Harry safe from his hunters and the world-at-large, and sending him back into the wild..
The All Time Best Family Movie.
It's hard to find a good "all around" family movie.
Harry and the Hendersons is one of the few family movies that the entire family enjoys!
Except for hearing the word sh*t two or three times, the rest of the movie is clean for the whole family to enjoy..
This is a great film for the entire family to view together.
Can be enjoyed by all ages, top notch family film, John Lithgow is terrific, as usual.
A great feel good family movie!.
WE happened to catch this movie again on the PAX channel and start getting completely captivated once again by its funny scenes, and Harrys reaction to everything he encounters, from the family to the things in the house and its eventual feel good conclusion!
I think one of the most touching scenes is when he encounters a deer head mounted on the wall and knocks out a hole in the wall to look for the hind part of the deer.......makes one wonder why people like to hunt in the first place, especially seeing it from Harry's perspective.......well, sit back and enjoy the movie, you will be glad you did, and have a kid or two with you..........OK?
harry and the hendersons is a great movie for people of all ages.
it tells the story of a family who's life turns upside down when they hit something on the way home from a camping trip.
Family film about a Seattle family that runs over Bigfoot, then bring him home.
Great movie for the whole family!.
It's sweet & good hearted which makes it a great movie for the whole family to watch together.
The late Kevin Peter Hall is totally warm & cuddly as Harry the Bigfoot.
When an family by the name of the Hendersons (John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Margaret Langrick and Joshua Rudoy) are leaving from their camping trip.
It is actually a Sasquatch "Bigfoot", they hit on their family vehicle.
The "Bigfoot" (Played by the late:Kevin Peter Hall) is actually creating havoc in their home and the city.
But when a big name hunter (David Suchet), who believes in the myth is actually tracking down the Bigfoot.Directed by William Dear (If Looks Could Kill, Simon Says, Wild America) made an sharp entertaining family film, which it could be enjoyed for all ages.
Kevin Peter Hall brings a warm, funny performance as the Bigfoot "Harry".
Harry and the Henderson is an adventurous movie about A big foot like monster.This movie is non-stop fun and misadventure.
Harry and the Hendersons was a childhood favorite that's still fun to watch today.
John Lithgow is very good in this, and it's not very often you see him in a family comedy-adventure film.
But this movie is a great family gem.
Then accidentally hit a Bigfoot with their car while camping then, thinking he's dead, tie him to the roof of their station wagon and take him home, but he wakes up.
All in all a good family movie..
The first time, he apologizes and his father responds, "It's okay; it's close to what you meant, anyway." In other words, profanity from your little son is okay, according to th script writers.Otherwise, it's a fun movie with a humorous gorilla "Bigfoot," a fast-moving story and you even get some nice Oregon woods scenery.
I laugh at the people who call this "good family fare." I haven't seen one movie yet with John Lithgow in it, that wasn't sleazy..
If I were to choose just one, single word to best describe this "shaggy" comedy called Harry and the Hendersons (that's HATH, for short), that word would definitely have to be - "Cute".Yeah.
"Cute" pretty much sums up HATH to a "T".It's plainly obvious that the audience which HATH is aimed at is, of course, children - But, what the heck - Can't a big kid at heart, like Dalbert Pringle here, enjoy being entertained by this thing, too?
a great movie for the family and kids.
In their attempts to keep Harry a secret, the Henderson's have to hide him from the authorities and a man, who has made it his goal in life, to catch a "Bigfoot" You will like this movie it is such a great movie..
It comes as little surprise that HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS is a crushing work of sentimental tripe, given that it's been produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment.
Unlike the genuinely good family films of the 1980s, like THE GOONIES and THE MONSTER SQUAD, this reduces the cast to a screaming mess, a bunch of actors holed up in a house who spend the movie shouting and overacting for all their worth.The subject of their consternation is the hulking bigfoot who ends up living with them for a time.
While the bigfoot suit is admittedly impressive - as is the sheer size of the guy who plays it, the late Kevin Peter Hall, who also essayed the role of the Predator - the way he's turned into a bumbling, friendly giant is frankly embarrassing for this viewer.I get that a lot of reviewers on here saw this as a kid so have a special place for it in their hearts; I'm the same with certain films despite their flaws.
But coming into it as a cold-hearted adult, I'm afraid this is one for kids and kids alone; even the normally reliable likes of John Lithgow and David Suchet embarrass themselves in the overacting stakes.
Harry and the Hendersons is one of the movies that almost everyone vaguely remembers for having a creepy looking lovable Sasquatch in it...but that's about it.
Released in 1987 and directed by William Dear, "Harry and the Hendersons" is a family comedy about a family in Washington who unwittingly brings Sasquatch to their home and they start to develop a relationship with him.
The 7'2.5" Kevin Peter Hall appears as "Harry." Lithgow is a great semi-comedic protagonist and Langrick is cute & effective; she should've been more prominent.
The F/X team and Hall did a great job making Harry a distinctive character, particularly considering the film was made in the mid-80s.
Although there are some weak parts, this is a solid family comedy/fantasy with just enough good in it to make it worthwhile.The movie runs 110 minutes and was shot in Western Washington.GRADE: Borderline B/ B- (6.5/10 Stars).
Anyone that grew up in the late 80s or early 90s should remember this film, as it brings back nostalgic memories when watching it now.I especially loved the performance of John Lithgow, who later became most famous for 3rd Rock from the Sun. He is the most memorable actor from the film.The film is very lighthearted and fun, and one a whole new generation should enjoy.
A genuine family film.Not the greatest special effects, but like I said, it's geeky and quirky.
The Henderson family adopt a friendly Sasquatch after accidentally running him over on a hunting trip, but have a hard time trying to keep him away from the authorities and an eccentric hunter who's determined to catch "Bigfoot".What makes this film good really comes down to two things: nostalgia and the impressive work of Rick Baker.
"Harry and the Hendersons" is a family movie in which we watch a family which while it is returning from a hunting trip in the forest its car hits an animal in the road.
Thus, they take the body because they think that is dead but it is not and after that big foot becomes a friendly giant.I liked this movie because it is an amusing movie and if you watch it I am sure that you will have a really great time.
I also liked this movie because of the simply hilarious interpretation of Kevin Peter Hall who played as Harry.
Another good interpretation made by John Lithgow who played as George Henderson and he was very good at it.Lastly I want to tell you that "Harry and the Hendersons" is a funny movie with which you will have a great time and I am sure that if you have children then this movie you just have to watch..
My favorite is Harry learning to sit and the prisoners getting away from the stinking villain.It was great to see John Lithgow ("Terms of endearment" ) in a non-villain role .It's also nice to have Don Ameche ("Trading places") in a movie and I was delighted to see David Suchet (TV series "Poirot") as a French hunter.
The real star however here is Kevin Peter Hall ("Predator") who manages to give a charming performance under that suit.I've never thought I say it about a family movie , but the ending was AWESOME.
If I have kids in the future , I will make sure they would watch this movie.
I first saw "Harry and the Hendersons" between kindergarten and first grade; I'm not sure that I would recommend it for children that young.
I don't think I'd seen the film since the late 1980s.It was released in 1987 and I don't recall seeing it in the theater, but I digress.Harry is a hairy behemoth of the Sasquatch genus.
Mr. Henderson had almost run him (it?) over in the road, brought him home, and cared for the big guy.All good things must come to an end, and the Hendersons eventually must choose if Harry remains with their family or if he should be driven back to the wild.Watch the movie for mindless entertainment and you won't be disappointed!!.
Ever since I was a kid, I've loved this movie!
While on a hunting trip, the Hendersons run into a Bigfoot.
Harry and the Hendersons A beautiful family film that depicts the caring of a family that accidentally hits an animal with their car and at the end releases it back into it's natural habitat.
Harry and the Hendersons is a very sensitive, funny and touching film.
It's one of my favorite "Great Choice" movies for kids.
It's a great family film.
Harry and the Hendersons is My favorite Bigfoot movies and I think its also one of the best.
He is also great as Harry the Bigfoot!
If you like John Lithgow Melinda Dillon, David Suchet, Don Ameche, M.
Emmet Walsh, Kevin Peter Hall, and believe in Bigfoot and Cryptozoology then I strongly recommend that you see this film today!.
Played by Kevin Peter Hall, the Bigfoot is your typical cute, cuddly little TV character, only considerably taller than usual.All in all, "Harry and the Hendersons" is a daft little film.
Some circumstances are a little unbelievable, and there are a few plot holes, but the movie comes through with lots of amusing sequences involving Harry inadvertently destroying the Henderson's house.
However, once the Hendersons get Harry back, the movie picks up again for the final heartwarming forest sequence.Still one of my favorite movies..
George Henderson (John Lithgow) and his family are heading back from a trip to the Cascade mountains -- the first trip where he hasn't bagged an animal.
Here, he plays Dr. Wallace Wrightwood, a man whose life was ruined by his search for Bigfoot.Rick Baker did an amazing job on the FX here, placing Predator actor Kevin Peter Hall into a complex costume that makes him look exactly as we imagine a Sasquatch to look like.
I love the sequence at the end where Harry's real family reveals themselves in the forest, including a child!
I can still remember the first time I saw Harry...the movie was hilarious just about all the way through.
Harry's costume was so realistic that it actually made the movie sorta believable, heh heh...and his antics were so funny, without being strained...I would have thought it would have gotten a better rating, but what the heck...I simply loved it for what it was, high comedy.**Update**Yaaaaayyyyyyy, they are showing it on netflix!!!!!!!.
It was a great movie obviously meant for families and or children.
The story involves a family (with John Lithgow playing the father) going out into the woods for some family fun but then while driving back dad accidentally hits a big beast with his station wagon.
Professional Bigfoot hunters become involved and the family has to decide whether to keep Harry or sell him or help him get back to freedom..
Returning from a hunting trip in the forest, the Henderson family's car hits an animal in the road.
Returning from a hunting trip in the forest, the Henderson family's car hits an animal in the road.
In their attempts to keep Harry a secret, the Henderson's have to hide him from the authorities and a man, who has made it his goal in life, to catch a Bigfoot.....During the late eighties, there were a spate of these types of movies, something out of the ordinary that invades a normal family or persons life.
The bad guy turning good at the end, George feeling bad and sticking up for hardy, and the worst troupe of all, which still gets me is the one where George starts being nasty to Harry to make him leave, AKA tough love to protect him.All in allies a typical fun eighties film, that doesn't hold up as well as I'd thought, but its fun nevertheless..
This is a good comedy, mostly family and kids fare.
John Lithgow was good as the patriarch of the Henderson family.
The Henderson family is camping in the Pacific Northwest wilderness when they literally run into Bigfoot and take him into their home.
If you like light hearted family movies, this is a good one for you.*** out of ****.
There are no big laughs here, but the film is amusing in its own quirky way, and having John Lithgow as the centerpiece of Harry's struggle to fit in a world far too small for him certainly helps with this.Many things about the film don't work, but I suppose that's to be expected.
I'm not sure what William Dear was setting out to make, but he apparently did his best with what he had, and the result is a family film that has enough winning qualities to make the fantastical premise work.
Not a bad selling point, that.Though the ending sets things up for the inevitable Harrys And The Hendersons, it's probably a good thing this film wasn't successful enough to spawn a franchise.