Jumping Ship [VHS]
Talk about your tween fantasies:Jumping Shiptraps knee-weakeners Joseph, Andrew, and Matthew Lawrence (TV'sBrotherly Love) in the Tropics after their charter boat falls prey to a trio of troublemaking Aussie pirates. A Spanish galleon full of bare-chested male bonding ensues; while moneybags Michael (Joseph) gets schooled in humility by loner Jake (Andrew), his kid cousin Tommy comes to terms with the loss of his dad. In between, they tackle coconut cracking, raft assembly, and some sorry attempts at spear fishing. Once high-stakes dangerous-rescue time rolls around, the fellas' foibles are all figured out, something we saw coming a nautical mile away. Though a gee-whiz-nice quality beats beneathJumping Ship's perfect-pecs surface, if suspense is your thing, skip it--the pinup boys are all that's keeping this featherweight Disney made-for-TV flick afloat.--Tammy La Gorce