Walk Like a Man 1987
Directed by
Melvin Frank
Made by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Walk Like a Man Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Walk Like a Man (1987). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Henry Shand Christopher Lloyd goes to Alaska in search of gold and a fortune. There, his spoiled son Reggie Christopher Lloyd resents having to work for money and must share the dogsled with his two-year-old brother Robert, nicknamed Bobo, played by Howie Mandel. The harsh Klondike winter tests the family: in a desperate moment, Reggie pushes the toddler off the sled, leaving him to die in the freezing wilderness.
Two decades slip by. Henry has died, leaving Reggie a massive inheritance of thirty million dollars. Reggie squanders the fortune within a year, and his new bride, Rhonda Colleen Camp, spirals into alcoholism as they tumble into poverty and move back in with his mother, Margaret Cloris Leachman. Margaret has grown increasingly unstable since Bobo’s disappearance and Henry’s death, diverting much of the fortune to buying homes for stray cats.
Meanwhile, a biologist named Penny Amy Steel arrives from Alaska with a surprising claim: Bobo is alive. She reveals that the child has been raised by timber wolves, and the evidence of his upbringing is startling. Bobo’s days are marked by wolfish habits—sniffing at people, greeting with a lick on the face, moving on all fours, growling and barking, and even chewing shoes and playing with his surroundings in rough, animal-like ways. He also causes unintentional chaos, including a scene in public where he wanders into a shopping mall, intruding into dressing rooms, trying on clothes, and leaving stores with items still in tow.
As Bobo begins to act more like a person than a dog, Penny finds herself drawn to him emotionally. Reggie, meanwhile, pushes to speed up the training to settle gambling debts, pressuring Penny to transform Bobo quickly so the inheritance can be redirected to his own schemes. Penny stands up for Bobo in court when she uncovers Reggie’s plan: she refuses to let Bobo be used as a pawn, and the courtroom moment exposes the manipulation. In a bid to prove his point, Reggie mimics canine behavior—growling, barking, chewing on a squeaky toy—to paint Bobo as if he were the one responsible, but the judge dismisses the case nonetheless.
Outside the courtroom, Bobo and Penny share a quiet, hopeful kiss, signaling the possibility of genuine connection beyond the legal battles. Yet the moment is fleeting, as Bobo’s attention is snagged by a passing fire engine, pulling him away into the street’s noise and spectacle. The story threads together themes of family fracture, the blurred line between human and animal behavior, and the complicated power dynamics that surface when money, love, and loyalty collide.
Walk Like a Man Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Walk Like a Man (1987) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Henry Shand arrives in Alaska to seek his fortune
Henry Shand travels to Alaska in search of gold and a fortune. He enters the harsh Klondike frontier hoping to strike it rich, braving the brutal winter. The expedition sets the stage for a family saga shaped by ambition and peril.
Reggie pushes Bobo off the sled
Reggie, resentful of chores, pushes his younger brother Bobo off the dogsled, leaving the toddler behind in the winter wilderness. The act reveals Reggie's cruelties and the brutal realities of the Klondike frontier. Bobo disappears into the snow, vanishing from the family’s sight.
Twenty years pass; Henry dies and Reggie inherits
About twenty years pass. Henry dies, leaving Reggie a vast inheritance of thirty million dollars. The windfall triggers a reckless spending spree that destabilizes the family and foreshadows coming conflicts.
Reggie wastes the fortune and loses the home
Reggie squanders the fortune within a year, and his new wife Rhonda descends into alcoholism. With money gone and debts mounting, the couple moves back in with Reggie's mother, Margaret. The strain of wealth and loss resurfaces old wounds surrounding Bobo's disappearance.
Margaret's madness and the cats
Margaret has gone insane since Bobo's disappearance and Henry's death. She spends much of the fortune buying homes for stray cats. Her fixation illustrates the emotional toll on the family as the past remains unresolved.
Penny arrives from Alaska claiming Bobo is alive
A biologist named Penny arrives from Alaska, claiming she has found Bobo alive. She explains that Bobo was raised by timber wolves and now exhibits wolf-like behaviors. Her arrival rekindles hope that the long-lost child-dog might be returned.
Reggie schemes to use Bobo for debt relief
Reggie tries to manipulate Bobo into signing over his inheritance to pay gambling debts. He tells Penny that Bobo can be used for wolf research, but she must first teach him to walk, talk, read, and write. The scheme centers on weaponizing Bobo's new persona for financial gain.
Penny trains Bobo and gives him a shave and haircut
Penny trains Bobo, but the process is slow and chaotic. She gives him a shave and a haircut to present him as more human, while his wolfish habits stubbornly persist. The training yields comic mishaps and ongoing challenges as Bobo struggles to fit in.
Bobo causes chaos in a shopping mall
Bobo goes out in public and wreaks havoc in a shopping mall. He enters dressing rooms, unwittingly tries on clothes, and leaves stores with items he doesn’t understand as a human shopper would. The spectacle underscores the tension between Bobo's animal and human traits.
Penny falls in love with Bobo
As Bobo behaves more like a person, Penny begins to fall for him. Their bond grows despite Reggie's scheming and the looming pressure of the inheritance dispute. The evolving relationship complicates the legal fight and shifts the dynamics of the entire case.
Reggie pushes for faster training to pay debts
With gambling debts piling up, Reggie pushes for speeding up Bobo's training. He grows more desperate as cash flow remains tight and the threat of losing everything returns. The pressure intensifies the conflict between Reggie, Penny, and Bobo.
Court hearing: Bobo resists; Reggie acts like a dog
Penny stands up for Bobo in court, exposing Reggie's manipulation. Bobo refuses to sign over his inheritance, and Reggie tries to mimic canine behavior to show that Bobo was acting like a wild animal. The judge dismisses the attempt, ruling in Bobo's favor.
Penny and Bobo kiss; Bobo chases a fire engine
Outside the courthouse, Penny and Bobo share a kiss, signaling their bond beyond the court's walls. Bobo then breaks away and chases a fire engine, a playful ending that captures his unique nature. The moment blends romance with a hint of the dog-wild spirit at the story's close.
Walk Like a Man Characters
Explore all characters from Walk Like a Man (1987). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Reggie Shand (Christopher Lloyd)
A spoiled, calculating heir who schemes to sign over his brother Bobo's inheritance to cover gambling debts. He uses charm and manipulation to present a respectable façade while pursuing money and power behind the scenes.
Henry Shand (Christopher Lloyd)
A determined prospector who travels to Alaska in search of gold and fortune. His quest ends in his death about twenty years later, setting up a massive inheritance for his son and a fractured family.
Margaret Shand (Cloris Leachman)
Henry's widow who has gone mad with grief and fortune, spending most of the family wealth on stray cats. Her sanity frays further as the inheritance and Bobo's fate hang in the balance.
Rhonda Shand (Colleen Camp)
Reggie's wife who, after the family loses its wealth, becomes increasingly irritable and alcoholic. She navigates their financial collapse and shifting social status with bitterness and resolve.
Penny (Amy Steel)
A biologist from Alaska who discovers that Bobo is alive and trains him to walk and speak, while forming a bond with him. She stands up for Bobo in court and ultimately helps thwart Reggie's manipulation.
Bobo Shand (Howie Mandel)
The two-year-old brother of Reggie, pushed off a dog-sled and later raised by timber wolves. Bobo's canine behaviors gradually yield to human-like traits as Penny teaches him, leading to a complicated relationship with wealth, law, and love.
Walk Like a Man Settings
Learn where and when Walk Like a Man (1987) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
Late 19th century to early 20th century
The tale begins during the Klondike gold rush era, when prospectors flocked to Alaska in search of fortune. About twenty years later, the narrative crosses into a later period where inheritance, social upheaval, and scientific inquiry reshape the family's fate.
Location
Alaska, Klondike wilderness
Alaska's Klondike wilderness provides the rugged backdrop for Henry Shand's pursuit of gold. The snow-swept landscape is depicted as unforgiving and isolating, shaping the characters' choices and destinies. Later, the story expands into urban spaces and scientific settings, signaling a shift from frontier hardship to modern life.
Walk Like a Man Themes
Discover the main themes in Walk Like a Man (1987). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Wildness
Bobo's wolf-raised upbringing blurs the line between animal instinct and human behavior, driving his clashes with civilized society. The film uses his evolving demeanor to explore identity, adaptation, and acceptance. Penny's role as translator between two worlds highlights how environment shapes character.
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Greed
Reggie's inheritance-driven scheme shows how wealth can corrupt relationships and manipulate dependence. The push to turn Bobo into a fortune instrument reveals the fragility of trust within a family. The courtroom showdown exposes the moral cost of exploiting vulnerability for gain.
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Family Bonds
Across generations, family loyalties are strained and tested by money, loss, and survival. Margaret's descent into instability contrasts with Penny's principled defense of Bobo, highlighting different forms of care. The tale asks how far love goes when money threatens to destroy it.
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Dark Comedy
The film leans into absurd, humorous moments as Bobo navigates dressing rooms, shopping malls, and a world designed for humans. The contrast between his wolfish instincts and social norms creates comedic tension. Amid the jokes, the story critiques vanity, deception, and the resilience of unlikely friendships.
Walk Like a Man Spoiler-Free Summary
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In the remote, windswept stretches of Alaska, a dead prospector’s legacy looms large: a $30 million fortune that has become more myth than money. The estate’s sole heir, a man who has convinced himself he is a dog, now finds himself at the center of a family tug‑of‑war that feels as wild as the frontier itself. The tone flits between off‑kilter comedy and bittersweet drama, letting the absurdity of a “canine” claimant sit squarely beside the very real pressures of a massive inheritance.
Reggie—the spoiled, restless brother who never learned the value of hard work—has been left to shoulder the responsibility of the windfall. He lives under the watchful, increasingly unsteady eye of his mother, Margaret, whose affection is tangled with eccentricities that include an odd fixation on stray cats. Adding to the domestic chaos is Rhonda, Reggie’s new wife whose life has already begun to spiral as the money slips through their fingers. Their cramped, cat‑filled home becomes a stage where old grievances and new ambitions clash, setting a tone that is equal parts uncomfortable and oddly tender.
Enter Bobo, the two‑year‑old who vanished into the Alaskan wilderness and was raised by a pack of timber wolves. Now, a determined biologist, Penny, returns him to a world that no longer matches his wild instincts. Bobo’s behavior—a blend of human curiosity and animal instinct—throws the already fragile family dynamics into fresh disarray, inviting both humor and empathy. His presence hints at a deeper question: what truly defines “civilized” when nature and nurture have been so dramatically rewired?
The film balances its quirky premise with a genuine exploration of loyalty, identity, and the strange ways money can expose hidden desires. As each character navigates the thin line between parody and pathos, the story invites viewers to wonder how far anyone will go to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs—whether that claim is grounded in cash, love, or something far more instinctual.
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