Flipper

Flipper
by Alan Shapiro

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Ann Carey, Elijah Wood, Jonathan Banks, Paul Hogan, Robert Deacon
Director: Alan Shapiro
Brand: Universal
Writer: Alan Shapiro
Producer: Bill Sheinberg
Producer: Conrad Hool
Producer: Darlene Spezzi
Writer: Arthur Weiss
Writer: Jack Cowden
Writer: Ricou Browning
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-20
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios

Movie Reviews of Flipper

Movie Review: Boatloads of fun...
Summary: 4 Stars

I was never a huge `Flipper' fan. I didn't watch the television show and I never saw the 1963 film that inspired it. I do recall seeing this particular movie when I was younger, but I didn't given it a second thought. As far as deep-sea animal movies I preferred `Jaws', and, well, I did absolutely LOVE `Free Willy', but that's for another discussion.

So, anyways, my wife, she's the `Flipper' fan. She just adores this movie and so the other night she made me watch it with her, and guess what; it was actually quite good.

So, for those of you not aware, this is a move about a dolphin who befriends a boy in need of a friend. Young Sandy Ricks is depressed since his parents recently divorced. He is longing for some normalcy, but instead his mother decides to ship him off to Coral Key to spend the summer with his crazy Uncle Porter. Sandy is apposed to it at first, but then he meets Flipper, a friendly dolphin who shows Sandy the meaning of friendship.

Throughout the film Sandy not only bonds with Flipper but also with his Uncle, which is something Porter needed as well. Add to that a young girl who catches Sandy's eye and an evil fisherman who is poisoning the water and you have an adventure suited for the whole family.

Sure, `Flipper' is nothing truly special. It is nothing new or unpredictable. In fact, you can guess pretty much every upcoming scene long before it appears, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good time; and films like this that are targeted at a family and a young audience are not designed to truly amaze or surprise you. They are designed to capture the hearts of young ones and their parents, and `Flipper' truly does that.

The acting is quite good for a film of this genre, especially from young Frodo; I mean Elijah Wood. He shows possibly more depth here than I've ever seen him since. Paul Hogan does a surprisingly fine job as Porter, making his relationship with Sandy seem a lot more real than it could have.

But of course this movie is all about the dolphin, and he does steal the show.

So, if you are looking for a fun family film that is packed with adventure, humor and a chatty little sea-faring animal than this may just be the film you are looking for. It's not amazing, but it doesn't have to be. It is better than average, that's for sure, and with the slew of average films being released today it's nice to find one that is ahead of the pack.

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Summary of Flipper

Dive into adventure in the sun-drenched Florida Keys with Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood as they have the time of their lives in this action-packed family favorite. When Sandy Ricks (Wood) is sent to Coral Key to stay with his salty Uncle Porter (Hogan) for the summer, he never dreamed he'd become best mates with a feisty, orphaned dolphin named Flipper. In no time, the two new friends become caught up in a series of high-seas escapades and Sandy discovers a whole new outlook on life, in this heartwarming adventure.

The 1963 film that inspired a popular television series about a chatty, lovable dolphin gets a sunny makeover in this 1996 update. Elijah Wood plays Sandy, a bleak adolescent from Chicago struggling with the recent divorce of his parents and wanting only to immerse himself in familiar comforts. Instead, Sandy is sent to Coral Key, an island off Australia, to spend a summer with his Uncle Porter (Paul Hogan), a benevolent old fisherman. The sights and pleasures of the island, including a pretty neighbor named Kim (Jessica Wesson), aren't enough to shake off Sandy's gloomy outlook. But when he meets Flipper while boating with Porter, his morale improves considerably, then gets another boost when Flipper develops a loyal attachment to him. A subplot about a crooked charter-boat company dumping toxic waste off the coast feels like a necessary evil, just to give the screenwriter something to do. Other than that, the film is quite fun and charming, and Hogan is a pleasure to see with his cracker-barrel wisdom. Great fun all around for ages 6 and up. --Tom Keogh

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