Product Details

• Actors: Paul Hogan, Elijah Wood, Jonathan Banks, Robert Deacon, Ann Carey
• Directors: Alan Shapiro
• Writers: Alan Shapiro, Arthur Weiss, Jack Cowden, Ricou Browning
• Producers: Bill Sheinberg, Conrad Hool, Darlene Spezzi
• Format: Color, Dubbed, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: June 9, 1998
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783220251
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,919 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Flick, August 15, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flipper [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I originally bought this movie for my 9-year-old daughter who is a huge fan of both dolphins and Elijah Wood. I didn't expect, however, that the entire family would enjoy it as much as we did! The story was interesting, suspensful and heart-warming. The acting was good -- not cheesy at all (as was another reviewer's opinion). The only complaint I had was the occasional (and unecessary) profanity ... which from what I could tell would be the only reason for it's PG rating. Otherwise this a great movie for the entire family and I would highly recommend it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Family Flick!, August 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Flipper [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Highly entertaining if you are under eleven years of age and a lover of dolphins, eminently tolerable if you are not- Flipper is one of the more enjoyable family films of recent years. Based on the highly successful 60s TV series it is the story of a teenager who befriends a dolphin while spending the summer with his uncle on the Florida Keys. The script is patchy constantly flitting between some potentially cringe worthy dialogue and moments of quirky comedic brilliance. For a film purporting to be centred on a dolphin as the title suggests we see precious little of the creature. The underwater shots of wildlife are uninspiring and some viewers will probably find their finger hovering over the fast forward button of their remote more than once as the film unfolds. Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood are the strongest elements of an otherwise pedestrian cast and of the two it is Wood who ultimately manages to carry the movie. His Sandy is engaging and utterly charming and you have to love his lingo which boasts such gems as `gotta jet man-here comes the hippy' and the `we've been smoking up a storm...' dialogue-both delivered in a manner that renders them absolutely priceless! For such a young actor (15) he manages Sandy's transition from a sulky, rebellious brat to a much more caring individual with incredible ease. And that is the thing most admirable about Wood in this film- the fact he delivers the script's more stilted and sentimental lines and sequences with a naturalism that makes his job look so damn easy! Hogan as the salty Uncle Porter is less impressive on the whole but nonetheless conjures several memorable moments. Hogan's screen presence is as great as ever and he seems quite at home in this role producing a relaxed and smooth performance. His characteristic deadpan delivery is used to great effect in this film and his on screen rapport with Wood produces some of the best scenes in `Flipper'. On the down side the rest of the cast offer relatively stilted performances, which inevitably damage the pace of the film. It is also let down by the absence of a decent storyline, opting instead for the traditional clichés that have plagued these sort of films.
In short if you want a positive and amusing family film to watch with your child `Flipper' is as good a choice as any. And if you do happen to find your attention waning towards the end you can always occupy yourself with trying to make out what the pieces of text on Sandy's t-shirts say!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not much like the Tv show, but still a great movie, February 12, 2001

By 

jasenao (Dothan, Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flipper [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I know that "Flipper" is only averaging 3 stars because a lot of poople don't like it much because it's not anything like the Tv show. I grew up watching Flipper the Tv show and it was always one of my favorites, but I still have to say that this movie is a good movie even if it's not all that much inspired by the Tv show. The main theme between the Tv show and the movie are basically the same, both are mainly about the story of a boy befriended by a dolphin named Flipper. However, there are a few differences. In this movie, there's not a Bud character, there's only Sandy, unlike the show. Also, Flipper won't be saving anything or anybody in this movie.

In "Flipper" the movie, Sandy (Elijah Wood) has to stay a summer with his uncle, Porter (Paul Hogan), although he doesn't want to and he doesn't even know his uncle. Sandy doesn't exactly get along with his uncle that lives mainly off of Spaghetti O's at first. If it wasn't for Sandy befriending Flipper, there's no telling what would've happened. Flipper befriends Sandy, which leads to Sandy making more friends including Kim (Jessica Wesson), Sandy getting along better with his uncle, and even some adventures and misadventures along the way.

Even though "Flipper" isn't much like the old Tv classic, I still thought that this was a great movie. It has its drama throughout and it even has a few adventurous parts such as an encounter with a hammerhead shark and busting some criminals. It also has good underwater photography and pretty good acting. I recommend anybody who used to watch Flipper the Tv show or anyone who likes dolphins or just likes good movies to get "Flipper."