Les nouveaux Robinson

" Beverly Hills Family Robinson " is a dull,uneventful film that just did`nt work at all

The direction was patchy,the script was awful and some of the acting bad ( both Dyan Cannon and Martin Mull were mr and missus boring ) but worst of all there was simply not enough Sarah Michelle Gellar to make it even passable.

In short not one of the greatest movies ever to come from Disney !!!!

Rating $$ out of $$$$$ ( those marks are for Sarah and nothing else )

*************** S P O I L E R S *************************

When this little number came round to the dregs of Channel 5 on UK television (and the name of C5 should make all those who live in the UK quiver with disgust), I watched it against my better judgement, as all the adverts were screaming "starring Sarah Michelle Gellar".

Actually it doesn't! Although Dyan Cannon - now more known as Judge Whipper from Ally McBeal - is refreshing. Unfortunately Martin Mull (the dastardly Headmaster from Sabrina) also stars in this tale and he is fairly awful at the best of times.

This is definitely a tale for children - it has a bad plot, no real emotion and just a few wide holes in the plot. It can still be enjoyable and the tree house and its contraptions amused me for a little while. Yet the introduction of the pirates, the tourists, and the random windsurfer were very stupid.

In the end it's a shame that 90% of the people who watch this film will do so to look back at Sarah Michelle Gellar before she became famous. Oh, and also the dirtier ones to catch a glimpse of her in a bikini.

BEVERLY HILLS FAMILY ROBINSON is a light-hearted flick, and should be viewed from that perspective. The opening scenes are "supposed" to be in Beverly Hills, but was it was filmed in Australia. There was a telltale oversight regarding this, and am surprised that someone didn't catch it at the time. When Martin Mull got in the golf cart, I noticed the steering was on the opposite side from what it would be in America.

The black pirate, Michael Edward-Stevens, was excellent...the funniest in the entire movie. He did an excellent job!

I sat through the entire film for one reason only - glimpses of the delightful Sarah Michelle Gellar. While SMG does appear several times (invariably in some form of bikini top) it's not often enough to make up for the rest of this execrable production.

A well-to-do Beverly Hills family find themselves stranded on a deserted island and pull together to 'make do'. One of the hilarious aspects of this film is just how well they manage to adapt to their new surroundings. Within a few weeks we not only have a 3 bedroom house constructed, but we've got a working power supply, dishwasher and electric lights. The air conditioning is on its way. Basically, the technology on the island is best described as Gilligan's Island on crack.

Of course, there are some nasties on the island too, but I wouldn't want to give too much away.

Now, on to the acting. Martin Mull (dad) and SMG (daughter) put in pretty good performances. Everyone else does a very poor job, the sort of stuff you'd expect on a low-budget Disney family movie. I had serious problems deciding whether the Ryan O'Donohue (son) was actually male or female too.

There are plot holes you could drive a truck through, and many leads are not followed up.

The soundtrack is appalling, the usual children's TV type of muzak. Bad stuff indeed.

All of that said, I must admit to laughing heartily at just how pathetic this production was, so it is worthwhile from a comedy perspective. I would imagine that little kids would love the movie too - unsurprising as they are the target audience.

All up, 3 out of 10 (2 for the laughs at how bad the film was, 1 for the occasional glimpse of SMG in a bikini top).

This isn't the best adaption of the Swiss Family Robinson story you'll ever see. And while I almost fell asleep during the film, I managed to stay awake and finish it.

The story is about the family Robinson, Marscha, Doug and their children Roger and Jane Robinson. Their yacht gets hijacked by three pirates. After the family dispatches the pirates they get stuck in a storm. The next thing they know they're trapped on an island. The family has no trouble at all with surviving on the island, they make a very fancy treehouse and even use electricity. The story is especially focused on Mrs Robinson who never paid any attention to her family at home, Beverly Hills. The whole event brings the family closer to each other. Another inhabitant of the island, Digger, tells Mr and Mrs Robinson that their kids are capable of so much more than they realize. On the island the family really learn what a loving family is all about.

The story is very predictable and the pirates are a bit annoying, the fun part of the movie is the house of the Robinsons. Whatever they want, they manage to make it. It's uncanny. Even MacGuyver would see green if he saw the Robinson's house on the island.

So why did I watch it? Sarah Michelle Gellar, how's that for a reason? Not that her role is so big. While this film will never be on of my favorites, it's very entertaining in the traditional Disney style. Just don't take this movie seriously.