This modest boy-and-his-killer-whale story was a surprising, if carefully orchestrated, summer success. FREE WILLY's ads asked, "How far would you go for a friend?" but a more probing query to parents would be "How much will you sit through for your kid?" Shamelessly manipulative and
heavyhanded, it may be an endurance test for those not absolutely entranced by large aquatic mammals.
A killer whale is separated from his family, shipped to an amusement park, christened Willy and expected to entertain. Meanwhile, runaway Jesse (Jason James Richter) survives on the streets by stealing and begging. Jesse finds new foster parents and must clean up the graffiti he sprayed at the
park: the moment the surly, uncooperative youngster lays eyes on the equally cantankerous whale, they bond. Trouble looms in the form of Park owner Dial (Michael Ironside), who fears Willy was a bad investment and plots to kill the whale for the insurance.
FREE WILLY is dopey and schematic--Michael Ironside lets us know he's a bad guy by scowling and muttering "I hate that whale!"--but things pick up a bit whenever kid and whale interact. Keiko is a very talented animal, making it ironic that he plays a whale with performance anxiety, and even
jaded viewers may experience some artificial uplift at the end. Michael Jackson sings the amazingly overwrought theme song "Will You Be There" over the credits. And you thought "Ben" was a bit odd!
