FLIPPER 1996
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
Cast: Paul Hogan, Elijah Wood, Chelsea Field, Jonathan Banks, Isaac Hayes, Jessica Wesson, Jason Fuchs Director: Alan Shapiro Screenplay: Alan Shapiro
"I've lost all of my baby fat, but I'm still cute, so love me anyway.' It must be hard for any child star (Wood) to enter that difficult period of our lives known as adolescence. The teenage years are hard enough as it is without the unnecessary attentions of fame and fortune, too easily endowed on anyone who can help ‘Hollywood' earn a quick buck.
Turn on 'Water Music' meditate on dolphins, and watch your blood pressure drop to safe limits. Out with the anti-hypertensive medication, and in with 'Flipper'. This dolphin befriends a lonely, angry young boy, detects bins of chemical wastes underwater, and cons children out of free fish and pocket money. Now where can I find myself a pet fish like this? (Ooops, I mean mammal).
Where we live the sun always shines, the surf is always blue, the natives are always friendly, and Uncle Porter's (Hogan) speciality is 'toast ala welding torch'. Ahhh, sounds like a good place to retire. Fresh air, the sound of the sea, endless summer, and don't forget the sun tan lotion.
So come join 'Flipper' in yet another adventure where he battles the bad guys of the sea. The environmentally unfriendly fisherman who shoots dolphins and poisons the ocean floors; the giant hammerhead shark who has an acquired taste for seagulls and little boys. At the end of the day I didn't really enjoy the movie, but it did remind me of a much needed holiday.
Comment: Not 'Waterworld', but certainly more intelligent. Feel Scale: 0% Goldfish / *DOLPHIN* / White Shark 100%
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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