Main Cast: Ed O'Neill, Ethan Randall, JoBeth Williams, Christopher McDonald, Ari Meyers
Release Year: 1991
Country: US
Run Time: 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
John Hughes re-works his already over-used formulas from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and Uncle Buck in this bald-faced rip-off directed by Peter Faiman. Ed O'Neill stars as working stiff Dutch Dooley. Dutch is in love with Natalie (JoBeth Williams), who is recovering from a failed marriage to the priggish Reed (Christopher McDonald). Her 13-year-old son Doyle (Ethan Randall) blames Natalie for the break-up of the marriage. Doyle is an effete and snobbish rich kid betraying inflections of William F. Buckley. When he refuses to join his mother for Thanksgiving, Dutch heads off to Doyle's Atlanta boarding school to kidnap him and force him to go on a ride to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his mother. Doyle hates Dutch for his loutish working-class ways, but when the vengeful teenager destroys Dutch's car, the two must join forces to get to Chicago by any means necessary. Along the way the two learn to love and respect each other. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Elizabeth Daily - Hailey; L. Scott Caldwell - Homeless Woman; David James Alexander - 1st Man; Pat Asanti - Watchman; Theresa Bell - Grace; Ross Borden - 2nd Man; Laura Brumage - Party Guest; Jesshaye Callier - Homeless Child; Tom Chatlos - Customer at Counter; Tracy Connor - Gas Station Waitress; Patrika Darbo - Greasy Spoon Waitress; Jerry Darr - White Man on Bus; Barry Doe - Watchman; Vincent Craig Dupree - Black Man on Bus; Ina Edell - Woman at Counter; Lisa Figus - Party Woman; Cedering Fox - Party Woman; Phyllis Franklin - Yuppie Waitress; Kyle Fredericks - Maid; Kathleen Freeman - Gritzi; Ann Hearn - Riva Malloy; Mickey Jones - Truck Driver; Shelby Leverington - Party Woman; J.C. MacKenzie - Mike Malloy; Sam Menning - Elderly Man; Jack Murdock - Homeless Man; Will Nipper - Teddy; Ron Payne - Greasy Spoon Cook; Brenda Pickleman - Motel Waitress; Warren Rice - Man at Booth; Jackie Lee Sander - 2nd Truck Driver; Robert Sutherland Telfer - Schoolboy; Gene Whittington - Homeless Father; Billy Williams - Man with Blaster; Joe Baker - Party Butler
Credit
Tracy Bousman - Art Director, Christopher Burian-Mohr - Art Director, Jane Jenkins - Casting, Janet Hirshenson - Casting, Jennifer Parsons - Costume Designer, Peter Faiman - Director, Adam Bernardi - Editor, Paul Hirsch - Editor, Tarquin Gotch - Executive Producer, Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score), Stan Jolley - Production Designer, Charles Minsky - Cinematographer, John J. Smith - Production Manager, John Hughes - Producer, Richard Vane - Producer, Jackie Carr - Set Designer, John Hughes - Screenwriter, Robert "Bobby Z" Zajonc - Pilot
Dutch (released in the UK and Australia as Driving Me Crazy) is a 1991Americancomedy/drama film directed by Peter Faiman and written by John Hughes. The original music score was composed by Alan Silvestri. The film stars Ethan Embry (as Ethan Randall) and Ed O'Neill with a cameo appearance by golfer great Arnold Palmer. O' Neill and Embry would work together again over a decade later in the 2003 version of the series Dragnet.
The movie received an PG-13 rating from the MPAA. It was also marketed with the tagline "They're the best of friends... And they've got the scars to prove it."
Dutch Dooley (Ed O'Neill) agrees to drive his girlfriend's twelve-year-old son Doyle (Ethan Randall) home for Thanksgiving, hoping that the trip will allow the two of them to develop a relationship and grow closer as a family. When Dutch arrives at Doyle's boarding school in Georgia, he discovers that Doyle is a stuck-up know-it-all who looks down on Dutch because of his blue collar upbringing. Doyle's mother Natalie Standish (JoBeth Williams) is recovering from a failed marriage to her priggish husband Reed (Christopher McDonald). Doyle blames Natalie for the break-up of the marriage. As Dutch and Doyle travel from Georgia to Chicago, they encounter various obstacles that bring them closer together. In addition to their bonding, Doyle obviously learns the valuable lesson of judging others by criteria besides their social class. They eventually arrive home just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Other Media
On a season 9 episode of Married... With Children, Al (Dutch star Ed O'Neill's character) & Peggy walk into a video store where a display of Dutch VHS tapes sits labeled as on sale. Peggy picks a tape up, looks at it, then puts it down in disgust of content of the film. In another episode, Al and Peggy enter the same store. There is a cardboard poster of Dutch with O'Neill's face covered up. In yet another episode, Al remarks about having to be subjected to watching Dutch on a flight back to Chicago.
