GOLD DIGGERS: THE SECRET OF BEAR MOUNTAIN
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.3
United States, 1995 U.S. Availability: 11/3/95 (wide) Running Length: 1:32 MPAA Classification: PG (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Christina Ricci, Anna Chlumsky, Polly Draper, Brian Kerwin, Diana Scarwid, David Keith Director: Kevin James Dobson Producers: Martin Bregman, Rolf Deyhle, and Michael S. Bregman Screenplay: Barry Glasser Cinematography: Ross Berryman Music: Joel McNeely U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Some day, hopefully, Christina Ricci will get a worthy showcase for her talents. Until then, however, we're going to have to be content watching her provide a spark for such staples of mediocrity as THE ADDAMS FAMILY, CASPER, NOW AND THEN, and GOLD DIGGERS. It's not overstating the case to say that Ricci is the best thing about these films. In fact, it's not far from the truth to say that she's the only worthwhile thing, especially where GOLD DIGGERS is concerned.
Formulaic to a fault and guilty of trivializing a serious issue, GOLD DIGGERS starts out messy and contrived, and never gets any better. The movie attempts to wed teen bonding with low-key adventure, while simultaneously tackling the issue of domestic violence. Admittedly, I don't expect a ONCE WERE WARRIORS-type approach to wife-beating and child abuse in a PG-rated film, but a harder-hitting, less superficial style is requisite for a topic of this import. If you're going to do a movie about the subject, don't shortchange it the way GOLD DIGGERS does.
As teenager Beth Easton, Ricci is marooned in a dumb story with a bunch of performers who don't pull equal weight. MY GIRL's Anna Chlumsky, an actress of modest talent, is on hand as Beth's wild best friend, Jody Salerno, but Ricci takes center stage for their scenes. Chlumsky was appealing in her previous outings, but here, with a short haircut and tomboyish attitude, she's less-than-endearing. Polly Draper, as Beth's recently-widowed mother, is more irritating than sympathetic. Brian Kerwin (Sheriff Matt Hollinger) and Diana Scarwid (Jody's mother) are all-but-invisible, and David Keith sneers his way through his role as the film's resident bad guy.
The movie, which takes place in 1980, opens with Beth and her Mom moving from Los Angeles to a small, backwater Pacific Northwest community (forty-five minutes from the nearest mall). There she meets Jody, who is regarded as a local troublemaker. Although the two don't hit it off immediately, it doesn't take long for a friendship to develop. Soon, Beth and Jody are in search of the lost gold of Molly Morgan, which is supposedly hidden deep in the caves of Bear Mountain. While the new friends navigate paper mache tunnels with styrofoam stalactites, they engage in inane conversation that passes for bonding, with Jody confiding that her mother's boyfriend becomes abusive when he gets drunk.
GOLD DIGGERS is intended as a "family film", but this is the kind of movie that gives family outings a bad name. The only ones likely to derive any enjoyment from this drivel are pre-teen girls. With its deus ex machina ending and juvenile prattle, this is not a picture designed for adult entertainment. Far from striking gold, this film consistently comes up empty.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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