THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408200053
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
TORY THE Sea Lion steals everything, including the red herrings, in the latest in this summer's series of animal flicks for children. With those big eyes, more luminous and moist than any Disney concoction (including Bambi), she blatantly and quite successfully seeks the seal of approval.
``Andre'' is based on the real-life homing instincts of a seal who, for more than 20 years, swam back to Rockport, Maine, each spring after spending the winters at the Boston Aquarium. It is not nearly as dramatic or focused as it might have been, considering the melodramatic possibilities. It is, however, well-intentioned and refreshing.
``Andre,'' which obviously was prompted by the success of ``Free Willy,'' is recommended particularly for small children. They will delight in the title character's ability to stick out his tongue, go to school for show-and-tell, dance the Peppermint Twist, shake hands (flippers), wear tropical shirts and sunglasses, help paint pictures, watch TV (his favorite show is ``Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea''), blow out his birthday cake candle, drink from a straw and make rude noises (especially to the family dog, Hooter). Neither Willy nor Flipper could compete with all this.
Whenever Andre was on screen, the morning audience with whom I saw it howled with laughter and approval. One 3-year-old, in pointed seriousness, told me that he infinitely preferred ``Andre'' to ``The Lion King.''
The movie, though, ignores an excellent chance to teach children about nature and animal behavior. Instead, it centers on Andre's cute anthropomorphic tricks. The real drama, which involves setting Andre free and having him return, is held off until the final moments of the film - and dismissed as if it were an afterthought. Instead, we have subplots and more subplots - a surprising lot for one hour and 35 minutes.
At first, it looks as if it is to be strictly a girl-and-her-seal outing. That would have been fine (especially in a summer in which little boys have had a monopoly on all family-movie plots). Instead, we have a subplot about the teenage sister being jealous of the seal and going through a difficult adolescence. We have a subplot about a nasty local fisherman who wants to get rid of Andre and other seals because they eat fish. Yet another subplot deals with the little girl's difficulties at school. The kids are particularly cruel to her, which drives her into shyness.
The film is spurred by a particularly vulnerable and gifted child actress named Tina Majorino who was so good as Meg Ryan's older child in ``When a Man Loves a Woman.'' She has buck teeth and the ability to suggest natural weaknesses, as opposed to the coyness usually trotted out by child actresses. Majorino can turn on the tears faster than Andre can go for fish.
Keith Carradine plays her father as an aw-shucks kind of guy, a holdover from the Will Rogers role he played on Broadway. Carradine is quite likable but a bit transparent. Mom, in period piece, attends to the family traumas and spends most of her time in the kitchen.
The drama begins in 1962 and is narrated by the grown-up voice of the 9-year-old heroine. There are several inconsistencies. For one thing, ``Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' didn't go on the air until two years after Andre is seen watching it. More importantly, little is done to disguise the fact that Andre is played by a sea lion, not a seal. (Sea lions have longer flippers and sharper noses than seals do, and are more adept at getting around on land.)
Like Lassie, Andre's casting is a gender bender. Tory, the star sea lion, is a female. The film was shot near Vancouver, British Columbia, rather than off Maine. Of course, none of this will make any difference to those of us who just like the seal tricks.
Director George Miller should not be confused with the George Miller who directed ``Mad Max.'' This Miller, who also is Australian, directed the action hit ``The Man from Snowy River.'' Here, he wisely is content to tell a simple story simply. If only he had stuck to the central story, all would have been better. Solutions come quickly and easily in the last reel. There are three endings rather than one, as things grind on.
Small children will like this film much more than adults. Teenagers are likely to find it much too simple. The crossover audience is likely to be slight.
Tory's wide-eyed reactions, and tricks, save a great deal here. As long as she's on screen, all is well. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Andre''
Cast: Keith Carradine, Tina Majorina, Tory the sea lion, Chelsea
Field
Director: George Miller
Screenplay: Dana Baratta, based on the book ``A Seal Named
Andre'' by Harry Goodridge and Lew Dietz
MPAA rating: PG (a little mild language, but could well have been
a G)
Mal's rating: Two 1/2 stars
Locations: Janaf, Maingate in Norfolk; Lynnhaven Mall in
Virginia Beach.
by CNB