Home > Movies > Movie Review > Nim's Island

Nim's Island

Some kids stories are meant to stay on the page

By Matt Pais

Metromix
April 3, 2008

Critic's Rating:

• Email
• Print View
• Share
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Google
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • Yahoo
• Add To Favorites
• Add to playlist

For as long as she can remember, Nim (Abigail Breslin) has lived alone with her dad (Gerard Butler) on a deserted island, where she talks to various wildlife and escapes into “Indiana Jones”-style tween novels by her favorite writer, Alex Rover (Jodie Foster). When dad disappears for a few days and Nim injures herself, neurotic homebody Alex finally sets off on her own real-life trek around the world to help Nim.

Big question: Can a live-action adaptation of Wendy Orr’s novel effectively bring this daring tale to life?
 
Skip it: The kind of movie that really should end with, “It was all a dream,” “Nim’s Island” stretches credibility to the point that little girls may actually try to climb volcanoes and ride sea lions. Breslin can tame the sugar from even the sappiest material, but there’s no reason that these underwater rescues, conversations with birds and lizard-shooting-catapults should be played so straight.

Catch it: If you’ll be swept away by the extended email correspondence between Nim and Alex, during which they both read every message out loud. Here’s hoping you don’t do that at work.

Bottom line: Foster delivers every line like she needs to make sure 6-year-olds will understand her, which is just as annoying as "Nim's Island" totally overdoing it with reaction shots of digitally created animals as if viewers were wondering, “Let’s see what the lizard thinks about this.” The movie has nice scenery and messages about family, but parents and kids can find more real adventure in a Sunday afternoon trip around a mall parking lot.

Bonus: Anyone with frustratingly inconsistent Internet service should try switching to whatever provider Nim and her dad use that offers top-notch coverage to an isolated island in the South Pacific.

What do you think of 'Nim's Island'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com