NORMAN — Being the son of a famous actor might open a few doors for you in Hollywood, but it’s no guarantee they’ll lead to stardom.
While Michael Douglas has more than equaled the success of his father Kirk, he has three brothers who never made it beyond bit parts. Robert Mitchum’s son Christopher could only find work in Europe, where he cranked out low-budget action movies that were never shown in the U.S.
None of Bing Crosby’s four sons from his first marriage had much luck in movies, and John Barrymore’s troubled son John Drew left his failed film career to wander around in the woods.
So when Colin Hanks, the son of beloved, two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, made his screen debut in his dad’s “That Thing You Do” back in 1996, there was no reason to expect that the 19-year-old would go on to anything more than a few guest shots before fading into movie trivia oblivion.
But Colin Hanks beat the actor-son curse and has carved out a very nice career since then — one that kicked into high gear with the goofy guilty pleasure “Orange County” in 2002.
For high school senior Shaun Brumder (Hanks), making good grades has always been easy. It’s figuring out what to do with the rest of his life that’s the hard part. Shaun hasn’t even decided where he’s going to college yet. The only thing he knows for sure is that he has no plans to follow in his family’s footsteps.
Shaun’s dad Bud (John Lithgow) is a wealthy businessman who’s well on his way to a stress-induced heart attack. He left Shaun’s mom Cindy (Catherine O’Hara) for his 20-year-old assistant five years ago and now has a bratty toddler and a cheating wife to show for it.
Cindy drowned her sorrow in gallons of wine and married Bob Beugler (George Murdock), a rich old coot who’s confined to a wheelchair and does nothing more than sleep. And finally there’s Lance (Jack Black), Shaun’s older, drug-riddled, do-nothing brother who spends his days lying on the couch in his underwear.
They’re not role models, and Shaun is desperate to get away from Orange County and meet normal, sane people like his devoted girlfriend Ashley (Sissy Spacek’s lovely daughter Schuyler Fisk).
Oddly enough, he finds inspiration at the beach one day, when he discovers a novel called “Strait Jacket” buried in the sand. Shaun falls in love with the book and decides he wants to become a writer just like the book’s author Marcus Skinner (Kevin Kline).
When Shaun learns that Skinner teaches at Stanford, his decision is made. Stanford it is! Delirious with excitement, Shaun applies — only to be crushed when he’s rejected due to an error his guidance counselor (Lily Tomlin) made. After his looney family (hilariously) ruins a second chance to get in, Shaun is out of options — until Lance proposes a silly idea that just might work.
Although Catherine O’Hara and Jack Black do some major scene-stealing, it’s Colin Hanks who keeps “Orange County” interesting and on track. He’s a fun screen presence — cute, likeable and with great comic timing. “Orange County” was his first hit, which, sadly, he couldn’t enjoy for long. Shortly after it opened, his mother, Samantha Lewes (Tom’s first wife) died of bone cancer at the age of 49.
Hanks has worked steadily since “Orange County” and currently stars in the TV series “The Good Guys.” Here’s wishing him a career as long and prosperous as his dad’s. You can find “Orange County” (rated PG-13) at Hastings. Check it out!
