Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 4, 1995 TAG: 9511060105
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Beth Easton (Christina Ricci) is the new kid in the little town of Wheaton, Wash. Jody Salerno (Anna Chlumsky) is the local bad girl. Though Jody's always in trouble for lying and stealing, Beth becomes her pal.
Jody tells her a tall tale about a treasure hidden inside a mountain. Its location can be determined only at noon on the summer solstice, so off they go on a jaunty boat down the river.
That's a fine beginning, and if Barry Glasser's script had stayed with that kind of adventure story involving two realistic teen-age girls, it might have been much better, and much more coherent. But when he tosses in child abuse as a story element, the simple pleasures of escapism suffer.
Director Kevin James Dobson doesn't do much with any of the material. There's little tension or suspense to the story and even the big physical scenes - like a downhill bike chase - have a flat quality. Almost all of the people working behind the camera have backgrounds in television, and, without the screen credits of the stars (``Addams Family,'' ``My Girl'') the film could easily have been an after-school special.
Finally, there's the question of the title. Why is a story about young women acting independently and courageously called ``Gold Diggers,'' a phrase loaded with misogynistic baggage?
Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain
* 1/2
A Universal release playing at the Salem Valley 8. 95 min. Rated PG for mild violence, subject matter.
by CNB