Tom and Huck (1996)

25% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(38,959 ratings)

This Disney live-action film is a very loose adaptation of Mark Twain's two novels about boyhood friends in Hannibal, MO, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which omits some of the darker themes and undertones in the original books. Television star Jonathan Taylor… More This Disney live-action film is a very loose adaptation of Mark Twain's two novels about boyhood friends in Hannibal, MO, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which omits some of the darker themes and undertones in the original books. Television star Jonathan Taylor Thomas (of Home Improvement) is the prankish Tom Sawyer. Tom wants desperately to be friends with the renegade orphan boy Huck Finn (Brad Renfro), who lives on his own on the edge of town. Tom is also smitten with the tomboyish Becky Thatcher (Amy Wright), daughter of the town judge. On an adventure one night, Tom and Huck stumble upon a murder in a graveyard. They see Injun Joe (Eric Schweig) killing the town undertaker to get a map to a treasure. Tom's friend Muff Potter (Michael McShane) is wrongly accused of the crime, but Tom and Huck both know the real killer. Huck has made Tom swear not to reveal the truth and both boys fear that Injun Joe will come after them if they squeal. Tom must choose between his friendship with Huck and his desire to vindicate Muff and get the real killer brought to justice. They try to find the treasure and end up confronting Injun Joe in a cave. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Peter Hewitt
Genres: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Dec 22, 1995 Wide
On DVD: May 6, 2003

Critic Reviews

Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
A joyless lump.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
It's pablum, but at least it's not poison.
Michael Clawson, West Valley View
Long, tirelessly epic tale of TeenBeat cover boys. Little girls scream, critics fall asleep.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Mark Twain's rascals are hard to recognize in this scrubbed and polished retelling

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

Tom and Huck is an awful adaption of Mark Twain's adventure Tom Sawyer. Disney has a knack for creating adaptations of classic stories that are just dreadful to watch. Tom and Huck is such a film. Tom and Huck is a failed attempt at crafting an effective family oriented comedy,… More
Tom and Huck is an awful adaption of Mark Twain's adventure Tom Sawyer. Disney has a knack for creating adaptations of classic stories that are just dreadful to watch. Tom and Huck is such a film. Tom and Huck is a failed attempt at crafting an effective family oriented comedy, and there's really nothing memorable about the film. The film is really a mess from start to finish. The performances are lazy, and unimpressive, and there's nothing going on, on-screen to really grab your attention. The directing and plot is poor, and overall this is yet another Disney film that fails to deliver a memorable good time. I hated this film, and thought it was a waste of time. I think that Disney really missed the mark with this film, and they could've done so much better than this film. Instead, the film is a total misfire, and is a waste of time. Don't go watching this film expecting something great, because you won't find it here. This was horrible. Director Peter Hewitt fails here, and he shows he's a poor director. Tom and Huck please a very young audience, but this won't appeal to an entire family. The film forgettable, and is pointless overall. If you want a good family comedy, skip this one. There's nothing good about this film, and the film really misses the mark at delivering a great time. The acting, plot and directing combine to create an awful film that really isn't worth your time.
AJ V

Disney brings us the story of Tom Sawyer starring the cutie of the 90s, Johnathan Taylor Thomas. This used to be on TV a lot. It's a TV movie, so it's not that good, but it's not bad. The basic story is still kinda there anyway.
Conner R

I really like this version of Tom Sawyer, it's actually the best adaption out there. While it's not word for word like the book, it captures the novel perfectly. All the characters were great and the story is just too much fun. I love Injen Joe, villains don't get much… More
I really like this version of Tom Sawyer, it's actually the best adaption out there. While it's not word for word like the book, it captures the novel perfectly. All the characters were great and the story is just too much fun. I love Injen Joe, villains don't get much more evil than that. Also, JTT and Brad Renfro are perfect together and really got that relationship down. Some nice visuals and an above average approach to a family movie.
Tim S

Mediocre.
Jason S

A good family movie based on a good book.
Rachel F

It was a good adaptation of the book. I liked it.
Tom E

This is a GREAT interpretation of Huckelberry Finn (or was it Tom Sawyer?) I enjoyed JTT and brad in their roles -- Plus it was very good --
Yinalí R

Classic.
Jim W

Huck Finn is better with Elijah Wood, way better.
nathometer

I don't know who took me to see this. I wonder what they were thinking.