Captiva Island - Ein verrückter Sommer

IMDB suggested this film a few weeks ago, got an evening and took it in. Scenery is great, shot very well, actors gave it a fun, family friendly performance. So when then grandkids came over I played it for them... they were completely taken in by it. Great family film, well done!

A cross between "Captains Courageous" and "Cocoon" -- highly enjoyable family film, beautifully photographed, great performances -- the duet of Ernest Borgnine and Arte Johnson singing The Rascals' "Good Lovin'" was a highlight -- and a couple of well staged movie in-jokes (the "Apocalypse Now" inspired invasion scene, scaled down and complete with 'Ride of The Valkarys' music, was well done) made seeing this movie a very pleasant surprise.

Sadly this movie did not receive a theatrical release and one would have to look long and hard to find it either on home video or in TV listings -- but do find it as it's well worth it.

"Captiva Island" is a movie that begs the question, "Why wasn't this a major release?" Granted, inside sources have confirmed that the film was distributed overseas and amongst the airlines, but "Captiva Island" had the potential to be something much bigger than it was. I suggest that if you can find this movie watch it! It ranks up there with "The Cure" (Hong Kong title).

Plus points for this movie include: great color, great music, interesting cast, well known actors

Cons for this movie include: very limited DVD release, hard to find (even on VHS)

I must preface the fact that the director of this turkey is known by our family, but after seeing it... I'm glad I saw a pre-release copy on VHS, as I would have demanded a refund. The sole saving grace of this film is the beautiful "stock" footage of Southwest Florida that plays during the opening credits..truly masterful stuff (Biffar had a lot of practice at that, being in local TV production for years), but the acting is truly cringe-worthy at times. Ernie Borgnine is one of my favorite character actors, but from the looks of things, he really mailed in his performance. Arte Johnson? I won't even go there... The impression I got was of a high-school film project, albeit with a larger budget. This movie was being filmed around the same time that "Just Cause" was being filmed in our area, and the latter is a much better film, in my opinion. "Captiva" (original title) is a family friendly story and film, but go in with low expectations and you may be surprised.

Beautiful lighting, nice dolle sequences, flows nicely. Incredible cinematography