A young teen boy named Sandy is sent to stay with his uncle Porter in Florida for the summer. Despite how Uncle Porter is kind, Sandy is unable to enjoy his time with him. That is because he wanted to go to a concert for Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Later, Sandy meets this nice woman, Cathy, this girl around his age, Kim, and even a quiet boy called Marvin. However, that still doesn’t change his mood.

At some point, he is on a boat with Uncle Porter. Across from them is a boat with some fisherman.

A dolphin also comes toward the boat Sandy is on. But he tells it to leave. Unfortunately, some of the fisherman try to shoot the dolphin.

Sometime later, Sandy takes a boat that is supposed to go to Orlando in order to attend that concert. But Uncle Porter finds out and gets him back home. A hurricane even occurs and causes some damage.

Uncle Porter wants Sandy to clean up the mess from the storm. He even makes a deal with him: if he tidies up the place, he will take him to see Red Hot Chili Peppers. Although he is hesitant at first, Sandy accepts the deal.

The same dolphin as before swims toward where Sandy is. He starts developing a bond with it and even teaches it some tricks.

He runs into Kim and lies about owning that dolphin. He also names him Flipper.

Later, Sandy and Kim admit a bunch of kids to watch Flipper perform by the boat deck. Everything goes well… until Uncle Porter sees this. He demands that all the children leave and that the show is over. He gets mad at Sandy about this. He even makes him smoke.

When Sandy calls his mother, she finds out about him smoking his uncle’s cigars. She does not approve of that and asks to speak with Uncle Porter.

At some point, Sandy and his uncle meet Sheriff Buck Cowan. Cowan says that they cannot keep the dolphin unless it’s in captivity.

That night, Sandy and Kim go onto a boat and out to sea to look for Flipper. Sadly, they can’t find him.

However, they do notice barrels being dumped into the ocean. And they contain toxic substances.

The next morning, Kim comes to Porter’s home. His pelican Pete alerts her about something. She finds out that Flipper is on the shore and possibly dying. She calls Sandy for help.

Luckily, with the help of Uncle Porter, Sandy and Kim create a blend with fish heads that treats Flipper. Once again, he is healthy and strong.

Sandy, Kim, Uncle Porter, and Cathy follow Flipper out to the ocean. He finds a pod of dolphins and recognizes that that is the place where he belongs.

The group also gives him a special camera to show them what is underwater. At some point, the barrels are exposed.

Unfortunately, the mean fisherman return. They try to harm Flipper’s habitat.

Can everyone stop them and ensure that Flipper is safe?

This movie drew me in all the way through. It also had some elements similar to 1993’s Free Willy with a marine mammal and a kid forming a bond as well as the animal wanting to be with his family.

Sandy was likable for the most part. I didn’t appreciate how he would have a negative attitude with his uncle when Uncle Porter was actually nice. But then again, he is a teenager and was upset that he had to miss a concert that he was looking forward to.

His relationship with Flipper was very sweet. I also admired how Kim formed a bond with him. Just to let you know, Sandy and Kim do not develop romantic feelings for each other. I appreciate that because stories with teenagers falling in love can get overdone.

One thing I found peculiar was that Uncle Porter had an Australian accent and Sandy’s mom had an American accent. Porter being Australian never gets explained.

But I did like how Sandy improved his relationship with his uncle. Cathy was also kind. Marvin barely spoke, but he’d usually only say, “Flipper.” I’m guessing he has a disability, which also never gets explained.

Flipper was fun and easy to root for. I was glad that he did not die when Kim and Sandy were worried about him perishing.

The pacing was quicker than in many other films. I was surprised at how fast it seemed to take to get to the midpoint of the story.

One flaw this movie had was how the tale seemed to wrap up earlier than expected. And then more conflict happened. I consider that kind of sloppy since it can mislead audiences.

Otherwise, Flipper was a good watch. If you love sea creatures and adventures, this may be an excellent film to check out.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.