Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 17, 1993 TAG: 9307170011
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: C12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For kids, though, it's an exciting story about characters - human and whale - they'll come to care about. Compared to its competition, "Willy" is more involving than "Dennis the Menace," and non-baseball fans will find it more interesting than "Rookie of the Year."
When we first meet Jesse (Jason James Richter), he's a street kid in an unnamed Pacific Northwest city. He dreams of his mother's returning for him, and that keeps him from finding a place with a foster family. But Glen (Michael Madsen) and Annie (Jayne Atkinson) are willing to go the extra mile with Jesse.
Even when he's caught vandalizing a theme park, they take him in. But Jesse has to clean up the graffiti he sprayed. That's when he meets Willy (Keiko), a killer whale who has as much trouble fitting in as Jesse himself. Willy, as it turns out, is so unhappy in his too-small tank that he refuses to perform any tricks.
The park's evil owner Dial (Michael Ironside) isn't happy about that. The park isn't making any money but it is insured, so, unless Willy can bring in ticket buyers, he's worth more dead than alive.
Moviegoers of any age can probably figure out the rest, particularly since the previews that have been running for months are nothing more than a condensed version of the film itself. Many grown-ups will probably be put off by writer Keith Walker's overreliance on warm, fuzzy environmental buzz words and themes, and evil capitalist villains.
Kids won't pay any attention to those shortcomings. Instead they're going to believe in Jesse and Willy because Jason James Richter and Keiko - both making their screen debuts at 12 years old - work so well together.
Young Jason James Richter said in an interview that he and the whale (actually a very large dolphin) got along well. Even though the film uses stunt doubles, animatronic whale models in some scenes and photographic effects, he and Keiko really did develop the kind of strong bonds that can form between kids and animals. He said that the whale's nose feels rubbery, and when Keiko exhales through his blowhole, his breath inexplicably smells like mint.
Director Simon Wincer ("Lonesome Dove," "Quigley Down Under") got remarkably good, believable performances from his stars. They in turn were given strong support by Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson, and by Lori Petty, as a sympathetic whale trainer, and August Schellenberg, as an Indian caretaker.
On the other hand, the music is syrupy, the pace is slow, and the filmmakers never tease an emotional response when they can smash it with a sledgehammer. Those, however, are the criticisms of a skeptical old reviewer.
Parents looking for kids' entertainment that's not violent or coarse could do a lot worse than taking their children to "Free Willy." For the younger set, it's the feel-good flick of the summer.
Free Willy: **1/2
A Warner Bros. release playing at the Valley View Mall 6 and Salem Valley 8. 105 min. Rated PG for a little rough language.
by CNB