Review: Nim's Island

Starring: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler

Rating: 2 out of 5 (3 1/2 for kids)

I waited until Saturday morning to see this movie. I would like to say it was only because it would be the best way to gauge the audience’s reaction to a kids' movie, but honestly, my Friday night ritual movie takes a backseat to the season premiere of “Battlestar Galactica.” Still, I think it was a wise to delay until Saturday so that I could see how kids reacted to this movie. Although I may not have been bowled over, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre. It is rare that you go to a movie stocked with that many kids and do not hear a peep from any of them. Either they were riveted to the screen or high on the sugary goodness of Raisinettes, they fell asleep during the hypnotic opening credits.

“Nim’s Island” is the story of 11 year old Nim who lives on an island in the Pacific Ocean, somewhere near the Cook Islands. Her mother, an oceanographer, died when she was four years old. Her scientist father Jack (Gerard Butler with an American accent) loaded her onto their boat and sailed around the world twice until he discovered this “Fire Island” where they settled to live. Nim grew up on the island with her father and only the local animals as her friends. It sounds like a lonely existence but you would never know it from the total, unmitigated joy emanating from both Nim and her father. These are clearly two people who are passionate about life and quite content with what they have. Nim spends her days with her sea lion, pelican, and lizard friends, and only punctuates this routine with shipments from the outside world, which occasionally include the latest Alex Rover adventure novel.

Jack sets off on a two day boat trip to track down new species of plankton, reluctantly leaving behind his stubborn daughter after she talks him into letting her stay behind to help hatch sea turtles. However, a horrible storm pops up out of nowhere, leaving Jack stranded out at sea in his sinking boat. Meanwhile, Nim enjoys her freedom back on the island and even manages to meet her hero Alex Rover online. What Nim does not know is that adventurer Alex Rover is actually an agoraphobic woman named Alexandra living in San Francisco who has never done anything close to adventurous, save attempting to get her mail. When the crazy storm comes ashore on the island, Nim becomes worried when she no longer can contact her father by satellite phone. Scared, Nim reaches out to her hero Alex Rover and manages to talk her into coming to the island to help her.

This movie has a number of things going for it. The cast is phenomenal, even if I do not buy for a second that Jodie Foster would be afraid of anything. The four main characters, Nim, Alexandra Rover, imaginary male Alex Rover (also Butler), and Jack are likeable and interesting. The story idea is exciting and fun, and it is exactly the kind of movie I would have either imagined myself as a child or been anxious to watch repeatedly at the local movieplex. The problem I had with the movie was that despite the story and actors, it still kind of felt flat. In part this was the directing, but in larger part, the writing just did not flow well. There was 10 lbs of plot in this 5 lb bag and yet the movie still seemed to drag. The side plot of Nim defending her island was fun, but it took up too much of the screen time. I almost would have liked to see more of Alexandra’s journey and struggle, but on the other hand, I don’t think Jodie Foster’s comic timing would have made that more enjoyable. I also liked the imaginary Alex Rover played by Butler with his native Scottish accent, talking to Foster. It kind of reminded me of Jack Flack from “Cloak and Dagger” only Alex haunts the adult rather than the child in this movie. Still I liked Alex’s chemistry with Alexandra quite a bit, and I almost would have liked to see more of it.

Overall this movie is better for kids because adults might get bored, especially on repeat viewings with their children. I think the movie has enough things going right with it that children will not only enjoy it, but have a special place in their heart for it as they get older. A great family movie, it is worth checking out in the theatre if you have kids. If you don’t have any, DVD and cable are a fine place to check this out later.