Rebellious 14-year-old Sandy Ricks (Elijah Wood) is at an all-time low. He’s just landed on what has to be the world’s most remote island, forced to spend the summer with some ex-hippie uncle of his (Paul Hogan), who used to be a roadie for the Beach Boys before dropping out of society to become a fisherman. And what’s worse, he’s had to forfeit the all-access laminates he scored for the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert taking place back home.

But once he meets up with an equally feisty orphaned dolphin named Flipper, city boy Sandy starts to get into the swim of island living. Pretty soon he finds himself in the middle of the biggest adventure of his life, and the place doesn’t seem so small or laidback. Even salty old Uncle Porter doesn’t seem so bad.