Mein Freund Ben - Der Film

Jack (Dean Cain) is a park ranger in the remote areas on California. Unexpectedly, his world is rocked when his missionary brother and his wife go missing and their nearly-a-teen son, Mark (Reiley McClendon) comes to stay with his uncle! There is a period of adjustment, for Mark is subjected to strange cooking and little to do. This improves when the young man makes a friend, a girl named Ashley. But, horrors, her father Fog Benson (Corbin Bernsen), a sheep rancher, is upset that a bear is stealing some of his flock. He demands that Jack find and destroy the culprit animal ASAP. But, Jack, who is more into preserving wildlife, is not certain it is a bear doing the dirty work. He proposes a more thorough investigation. Guess who's angry at this? Meanwhile, Mark and Ashley find a huge bear in a deep hole trap and try to figure out a way to set him free while they feed him on the sly. At last, Mark brings a ladder to the hole, hoping for the best. But, uh oh, Mark falls down in the hole himself during the operation. Will this bear attack? No, as it turns out, he seems to like the lad. Both of them scramble out of the trap and become friends, in secret. However, with Fog continuing to rant and rave, what will he do if Ben the Bear is discovered? This remake of a classic is very nice. Cain, one the best looking actors ever, with the sunniest smile, is terrific as the new foster dad while Bernsen makes a good villain, as always. The rest of the cast is wonderful, too, especially Gil Birmingham as a Native American ranger. Look out for William Katt, too, long after his "hero" days! Then, also, the setting is lusciously beautiful while the script and direction combine for plenty of action and animal stunts. Family film seekers who especially love nature flicks will find this a great view.