BB.5
(out of 5)
This film starts out whimsically entertaining but boils down to such a cheesy outcome that it ends up being a bit embarrassing for all involved. George C. Scott plays a Dr. Dolittle dolphin trainer who has taught his two pets to actually speak. When they’re kidnapped and put into the service of bad guys who want to use them to plant bombs on an eminent figure’s boat, you find yourself wondering how this film made it past the development stage. Scott is terrific, but neither he nor director Mike Nichols seem to be the least bit aware that they’re telling a kid’s story, and so mistakenly aim the picture at a more mature, uninterested audience.
AVCO Embassy Pictures
USA, 1973
Directed by Mike Nichols
Screenplay by Buck Henry, based on the novel Un Animal Doue de Raison by Robert Merle
Cinematography by William A. Fraker
Produced by Robert E. Relyea,
Music by Georges Delerue
Production Design by Richard Sylbert
Costume Design by Anthea Sylbert
Film Editing by Sam O’Steen
Academy Award Nominations
Best Music (Original Dramatic Score) (Georges Delerue)
Best Sound (Richard Portman, Lawrence O. Jost)
Golden Globe Award Nomination
Best Original Score-Motion Picture (Georges Delerue)
