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Like Father Like Son

Like Father Like Son is a 1987 American fantasy comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and starring Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron about a father and son who magically switch bodies. The film was released by Tri-Star Pictures on October 2, 1987, and received mostly negative reviews from critics while grossing $34.4 million against a $10.5 million budget.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Like Father Like Son (1987 film) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

Chris Hammond is a high school senior. He likes a girl at school, Lori, who is dating his rival and bully Rick. His father, Jack, is a surgeon who is trying to get promoted to chief of staff at his hospital. Chris has a friend, Clarence "Trigger", whose Uncle Earl had his leg fixed by Native Americans with a body-switching potion called the "Brain-Transference Serum". Trigger shows Chris how the serum works by trying it out on Chris' cat and dog, and the pets switch bodies. Trigger brought the serum in a Tabasco sauce bottle, and the Hammond's housekeeper Phyllis puts the bottle in the food cupboard. Jack unwittingly puts some serum in his Bloody Mary. The serum works by someone ingesting it, then the next person that looks into their eyes switches bodies with them. As Jack looks into his son's eyes, the father and son switch bodies.
Trigger states that he will get in contact with his Uncle Earl to find a way for the two to switch back, but Earl has just left for another trip. Chris goes to town in his dad's body, using his dad's credit card to shop and party with Trigger. He bumps into his dad's boss's wife while out in a bar but does not realize who she is. She comes on to him, and he accepts. In the morning, Jack in his son's body and Chris in his father's body wake up screaming and realize they are not dreaming. Jack goes to school in Chris's place, while Chris calls in sick at the hospital. Jack's boss Larry goes to Jack's house to check on him and sees him feeling better. Jack gets called in to work, and he ends up handing out a bunch of pills to patients while doing rounds. He also seconds a motion proposed by his dad's colleague, suggesting that the hospital could treat patients with no insurance.
Meanwhile, at school, Jack’s knowledge of the schoolwork and his willingness to point out troublemakers in class has him shunned by his fellow students. He takes Lori to a concert but does not enjoy himself, finding the music too loud. Then he fails to perform at the big relay race, and Rick beats him up because of the track meet and taking Lori out.
They finally get in touch with Earl, who explains that they can get the antidote if they go on a trip to Death Valley. After a few hiccups, they find the key ingredient for the antidote. Earl makes it up and they drink it; however looking into each other's eyes does not work. Earl explains it can sometimes take a while to work. The antidote finally works as Jack in Chris' body is running late for a meeting. Chris in Jack's body is on his way to a meeting about his dad becoming Chief of Staff, which will not happen now that Jack's boss found out what Chris did with his wife while in Jack's body. Now back in their own bodies, both of them race to the hospital.
Chris speaks up at the Chief of Staff meeting to try to persuade the boss to give his dad the job, but his boss will not hear it. Jack walks in and says he does not want the job anymore; he would rather spend the overtime with his son. On the way out, Trigger sees Rick and gives him the Brain-Transference Serum. The next person who looks into Rick’s eyes is Jack's employer, Dr. Larry Armbruster. The film end as they both scream after they switch bodies.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Like Father Like Son (1987 film). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license