Heck's Way Home Reviews

Odorless, colorless, flavorless, inoffensive movies like HECK'S WAY HOME will always find a place in the hearts of harried parents looking for treats for their youngsters. Maybe it's because they can forget it so easily Inventor Rick Newfield (Michael Riley) accepts an offer to move his whole family on short notice from Winnipeg, Canada, to Australia, to supervise the mining rig he developed. In his rush, Mr. Newfield has no time to find Hector, the household's shepherd-border collie mix, who was cast adrift on a raft by local bullies. By the time Hector gets back to the house, the Newfields are on their way to the port of Vancouver. The dog begins an INCREDIBLE JOURNEY-style overland hike, including a stint riding the rails with hobo Red (Don Francks). Meanwhile, various snafus keep the Newfields holed up in their Vancouver hotel, delaying their departure for Down Under by boat. Homesick and Heck-less son Luke (Chad Krowchuk) is able to get the word out seeking his pet's return, and Red sends a response that Hector is on the way. Late complications include a meanie hotel manager who tries to prevent a nice bellboy from helping Luke, and Heck's old nemesis, a Winnipeg dog catcher (Alan Arkin), who was ready to set sail for his retirement but reverts to the Ahab-Moby pursuit when he glimpses Hector on the loose in Vancouver. Hector leaves him locked in a crate bound for a distant port, and happily reunites with Luke. When "Come back, you mangy mutt!" represents a typical specimen of dialogue, it's best not to get one's hopes up. There's a canned theme about how the annoying Mr. Newfield finally realizes that his single-minded careerism prevents him from being a Better Father, but the major achievement of HECK'S WAY HOME is refreshing acknowledgment, right up front, that this picture takes place in Canada. Many Canadian features, driven by perceived market pressures and something of a native inferiority complex, warily keep their geography as bland and generic as possible in an attempt to pass themselves off as a product of Hollywood.