‘Flipper’ Just Another Formula Seafaring Film

It’s going to take more than three Smashing Pumpkins T-shirts to convince us that “Flipper” is hip.

The bland “Flipper” is based on the TV show of the mid-1960s, but it owes a bigger debt to “Free Willy 2.” Once again, a sullen teen (Elijah Wood, modeling those Smashing Pumpkins shirts) suddenly turns into Junior Environmentalist of the Year when he hooks up with a playful sea creature. What’s next? “Free Jelly,” the heartwarming story of a winsome man-of-war and the delinquent he befriends?

Like most movies based on TV shows, there’s no reason for “Flipper” other than to capitalize on people’s memories of the original, but it’s still a surprise when it takes a full hour for “Flipper’s” plot to rear its hackneyed head. Turns out there’s a creep dumping toxic chemicals on Flipper’s turf (or, rather, surf), and Flipper needs Wood and Wood’s uncle to help nail the bad guys.

The biggest surprise in the movie is how little screen time the title character gets - I’ve heard of dolphin-free tuna, but a dolphin-free “Flipper”? Many of the dolphin shots we do see are obviously computer-animated and even when Flipper is actually on-screen, he plays second fiddle to his human co-stars.

Wood is the best adolescent actor working in the movies, so it’s a pleasure to see him under any circumstances. But this character is a pain, and his half-hearted romance with a fishergirl gets more screen time than it deserves (Flipper, acting as sort of an aquatic Dolly Levi, introduces the pair).

As the uncle, wallet-skinned Paul Hogan (“‘Crocodile’ Dundee”) just acts zany/ornery, and Chelsea Field is the female accessory who always seems to be hanging around these movies with nothing to do. Her role as Hogan’s girlfriend consists entirely of variations on the line, “When are we getting married?”

Toward the end of “Flipper,” things begin to pick up. They’ve taught the dolphins some amazing tricks and those animals do look gorgeous swimming around in the Windex-colored waters of the Bahamas. It’s all harmless enough, but it’s no substitute for a movie that actually has a story to tell (like “The Secret of Roan Inish”). Oh, Hollywood can probably keep cranking out these boy-and-his-sea-mammal movies forever, but what’s the porpoise?

MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. “Flipper” Location: Lincoln Heights and Lyons cinemas. Credits: Directed by Alan Shapiro, starring Elijah Wood, Paul Hogan, Chelsea Field, Jessica Wesson, Jonathan Banks, Jason Fuchs, Isaac Hayes Running time: 1:34 Rating: PG

2. Other views Here’s what other critics say about “Flipper:” David Hunter/The Hollywood Reporter: Universal Pictures should haul in a tankerful of late spring-early summer bounty with the audience-pleasing, well-crafted “Flipper.” Michael H. Price/Fort Worth StarTelegram: “Flipper,” of course, is an icon of feel-good-ism. … there are big life-lessons being taught here, and so obvious an agenda scuttles a film’s entertainment value. The target audience of kids will sense this manipulative quality right away - and probably resent it.