Born to Be Wild (1995) on Netflix

Plot summary

Rick Heller is a juvenile delinquent. His single mother, Margaret, works as a behavioral scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, studying how humans and gorillas communicate by sign language. When Rick takes her van for a joyride, she sends him to clean the cage of Katie, a western lowland gorilla. He finds that Katie understands more than an average gorilla, and the two become friends. Katie's owner, Gus Charnley, then takes her to appear as a flea market attraction.