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Movies / On DVD / Nim's Island
Nim's Island

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Nim's Island (2008)

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Reviews Counted:95

Fresh:47

Rotten:48

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: Despite good intentions, Nim's Island flounders under an implausible storyline, simplistic stock characters, and distracting product placement.

Rated: U [See Full Rating] for mild adventure action and brief language.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:02-05-2008

Synopsis: Based on the popular children's novel of the same name by Wendy Orr, NIM'S ISLAND follows the adventures of Nim Rusoe (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE's Abigail Breslin), a spirited young girl who lives on a... Based on the popular children's novel of the same name by Wendy Orr, NIM'S ISLAND follows the adventures of Nim Rusoe (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE's Abigail Breslin), a spirited young girl who lives on a remote island with her scientist dad, Jack (300's Gerard Butler), and a host of animal companions, including an iguana, a sea lion, and a sea turtle. Nim's idyllic life gets shaken up, however, when her father goes missing while on an ocean outing. Seeking help to find Jack, Nim contacts her favorite literary hero, explorer Alex Rover (also played by Butler), who, in reality, is uptight--and distinctly unadventurous--author Alexa Rover (Jodie Foster). Against her better judgment, Alexa journeys to Nim's faraway home, setting a series of thrilling and funny moments in motion. Directed and written (in part) by the husband/wife team of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, NIM'S ISLAND revels in its fanciful premise, never getting hung up on its unrealistic plot points. (E-mail on an extremely secluded island?) While Breslin and Butler are charming, the real revelation is witnessing the oft-serious Foster ham it up in a role requires plenty of slapstick, fish-out-of-water moments. Although teens might roll their eyes at NIM'S unapologetically sugary scenes, younger children will enjoy the giddy mood present of the ISLAND. [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin

Starring: Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin

Director: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin

Director: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Screenwriter: Paula Mazur, Joseph Kwong, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Producer: Paula Mazur
Composer: Patrick Doyle
Studio: Fox-Walden

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Reviews for Nim's Island

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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There's nothing very suspenseful going on ... but the cast and the story will appeal to both kids and adults.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
04/20/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

The movie gets plain silly, but at least it's lively, and young girls will enjoy Nim's lifestyle in her eco-friendly and frolic-packed tropical paradise.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
05/02/08
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I haven't felt this embarrassed for a star since Robert DeNiro donned a tutu and did the can-can in Stardust.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
04/07/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

Good spirited, [but] rushed and clumsy.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
04/03/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Such an air of dumbness hovers over the movie, and it's all played so broadly that nothing about it is remotely believable.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
04/03/08
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Nim's Island is funny when it needs to be, serious when it's required and fantastical throughout.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
04/04/08
Mack Bates
Mack Bates
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nim's Island bogs down a bit in the midsection with a subplot that seems to be more about the "do" than the derring-do, but the oft-cited phrase about becoming the hero of one's own story is a mantra that bears repetition.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/04/08
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

A more enjoyable saga of girl power than Breslin's highly touted followup vehicle, 'Kit Kittredge.'

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
07/11/08
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

If you have a child, Nim's Island is the kind of film you won't be sorry you shared with him or especially her, and if you don't have a youngster, you'll wish you did.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
07/19/08
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

Nim's Island is a pleasant-enough jaunt for a family outing, but it never fully arrives at that 'perfect, secret world.'

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
04/04/08
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

for all the curiosity of seeing Foster in a rare comic rôle, her neurotic, tic-afflicted, accident-prone Alexandra annoys more than she engages, which is a problem for a character who contributes so little to the actual plot apart from diversion

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
05/01/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

Book-based tropical adventure is good family fun.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
04/04/08
Betsy Bozdech
Betsy Bozdech
Common Sense Media

If your kids have been totally weaned on ADD-addled animated flicks that mostly coast on crude humor and instantly dated pop culture references, then this clearly isn't the film for them.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
04/10/08
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

A scrappy and imaginative tale about a resourceful 11-year-old girl who learns how to become the hero in the story of her own life.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/04/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The film's an oddity -- an engaging, slightly overcooked fantasy about a castaway-island girl and the agoraphobic San Francisco novelist who comes to her rescue.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
04/04/08
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

A good idea and a great cast are wasted in Nim’s Island, a kiddie flick pitched to second-grade sensibilities that still manages to underestimate its audience.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
04/04/08
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Overplayed: there are entirely too many beaming smiles and emotional flip-outs...the only reason to see this movie is Foster, whose overplaying somehow succeeds at charming where her costars fail. [Blu-Ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
08/11/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

There are some moments that might annoy anyone over the age of ten. But the target market of young kids should just enjoy the adventure.

Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | comment Comment
04/04/08
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film School Rejects

If Nim’s Island were anything but a children’s movie, the casting genius who suggested Jodie Foster as a potential love interest for Gerard Butler would be looking for a new occupation.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/04/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nim's Island is a picturesque adventure-comedy that quickly capsizes under the weight of its obnoxious slapstick, pedestrian dialogue and general unwillingness to rise above stock ideas and situations.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/03/08
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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