Nim's Island Movie Review

Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler; Directed by Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin

After Nim's mother loses her life while doing scientific research out in the open ocean, Nim and her father, Jack, re-settle themselves on a remote, uninhabited island to devote their lives to the study of nature. In an opening monologue, Nim tells us that she is perfectly happy to spend her days away from civilization. She helps her father with his research, helps around the house, cooks meals, romps with her animal friends, and insists that everything she needs to know about the outside world, she learns in the books she reads. One of her favorites is the Alex Rover adventure series, and nothing stops her from tearing into the latest book the moment her eyes set on the newly arrived package. When Jack leaves on a two-day protozoa-harvesting trip and gets caught in a violent storm that nearly kills him, Nim calls on her debonair swashbuckling author/hero, Alex, to rescue him. One problem: Alex Rover is really Alexandra, a skittish agoraphobic woman with an intense irrational fear of open spaces. She has not left her house in weeks, and can't even summon the courage to walk five steps out to the mailbox. Nim and Alex had been communicating via email, as Alex had been hoping to speak with Jack regarding research for her next book. When Alex learns that Nim is not a weathered research assistant, but instead a scared and injured 11 year old, she resolves to beat her fears and travel to the island.

Alex is the female version of Bill Murray's Bob Wiley character from "What About Bob?", and Jodie Foster steps up to the challenge and hits it out of the ballpark. When I first saw the trailer for this film (what with all the slapstick and whatnot), I couldn't believe that it was Jodie Foster taking the falls and undergoing hilarious panic attacks. I didn't know what to expect when the film started, but she was worth every penny. She almost veered too close to becoming cartoonish in her performance, but she kept the control in pretty good check. Gerard Butler had dual roles as Jack and as Alex Rover, the book character, a kind of Scottish Indiana Jones. He appeared frequently as Alexandra's "invisible friend/conscience" who showed up to encourage her to be brave and to strike out to find Nim. As Rover, Butler was great, and his chemistry with Foster was also fun to watch, as they were almost constantly bickering with one another. As Nim's dad, Jack, Butler was perplexing. He seemed to switch on some kind of "okay I'm doing a kid's movie now" persona. He was over enthused and silly, like he was talking to an animated squirrel instead of his pre-teen daughter. Abigail Breslin herself was smart and not overly cutesy. There's no hidden poison under that sweet exterior (I'm thinking now of the Dakota Fanning SNL sketch with Amy Poehler portraying her as a vindictive control-freak), and Ms. Breslin is extremely likeable in a down-to-earth, grounded way. Besides the performances, the other admirable thing about this film is the gorgeous scenery; 90% sunny skies, blue water, white sand, and...Gerard Butler. But I digress...

One amusing thing about this experience was that I happened to notice that there wasn't anyone in the theatre audience that seemed to be under seventeen. There were three of us in the group I went with, we are all over 20, and we all enjoyed the film. I know a lot of people turn up their noses at the notion of watching a "children's movie", but there are so many hidden gems to find among them. Who would dare turn up their nose now at "The Wizard of Oz"? I ask you. Now, I wouldn't necessarily recommend spending $10 on the movie, but it's not a bad way to spend an hour and fifty minutes on a lazy evening. If you've got kids around, they'll love the slapstick, adventure, and scenery. If you've got teens and child-like young adults around, they'll love watching Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler. If none of this interests you, I'll just let you get back to your Battlestar Galactica marathon...

Grading:
Story = B
Originality = B
DVD Features = N/A
Acting = B+
Enjoyability = A-
Visuals = A
Overall = B

View trailer for film here