Nim's Island

What kind of world do we live in when a massively talented actress like Jodie Foster becomes the comic relief character in a kid’s movie and is called upon to pretend to vomit (twice)? It doesn’t ruin Nim’s Island, but it doesn’t help.

Abigail Breslin plays Nim – a young girl living on an isolated island in the Pacific with her widowed father, Jack (Gerard Butler). It seems like an idyllic situation as her marine biologist Dad examines microscopic beings out in the water all day long, and she romps around the island with animals who are more interested in being her friend than eating her for dinner. However, Jack ends up missing one night after a storm damages his boat, and Nim is left all alone. With nowhere else to turn, she asks for help from a unique source.

Nim’s favorite author, Alexandra “Alex” Rover (Jodie Foster) spends her days locked up in her San Francisco apartment afraid to face the world, even as she writes swashbuckling tales featuring the brave, sarcastic hero Alex Rover (think of Indiana Jones with a Scottish brogue). She needs to finish writing an action sequence featuring a volcano, much like the one on Nim’s Island, and has started corresponding with the young girl.

When Nim asks for help, can Alexandra figure out a way to provide it?

Is Jack going to be safe and return to Nim?

All of the ads for Nim’s Island feature a talking lizard, and you know how much I like talking animals (It’s Willie Waffle Movie Rule #1 - Talking animals are funny), but it might be time to sue Fox Walden for false advertising, because Nim’s Island DOES NOT have any talking animals. Yet, I still kind of like it.

Directors Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin do a wonderful job bringing Nim’s imagination to life on the screen, presenting a story about loss and danger with the right mix of fright and humor to make sure young kids won’t be screaming out in fear and parents won’t need to pay for years of therapy hoping that will end the night terrors. Flackett and Levin also understand the levity needed in Nim’s fantasy sequences and how to end the movie just before the audience loses interest.

Ultimately, Nim’s Island is a kid’s movie, so keeping it brief is a good idea. It’s full of silly antics, animals acting in cute and endearing ways and lots of slapstick. You know kids can’t get enough of adults tripping, falling and getting dumped into the ocean, so the little ones will get their fill for at least a month in Nim’s Island. However, there are too many moments in the movie where characters become overly cartoonish. This might work in a movie aimed at 5-year olds, but Nim’s Island is more for the 10-years and up crowd, and I think they (as well as the parents and other adults in the crowd) will see these cartoon characters as utter buffoons who distract from the main story. Plus, several scenes falter due to phony special effects, especially when we see characters out on the water, which is a huge detriment when your movie is set on an isolated island surrounded by the blue stuff.

Luckily, the actors have the ability to make the lead characters appealing. Butler seems to have the most fun when playing Alex Rover in fantasy sequences where he delivers the kind of bravado you can only find in professional wrestling or a 50 Cent concert. You can see the joy and spark in his eyes as he hams it up in scenes where Alex’s adventures are coming to life in Nim’s mind and when giving imaginary advice to Alexandra.

Foster gamely commits to the slapstick antics required to make every kid laugh, and she is fun to watch at times, but comes off as clunky and forced in others. She probably did this movie so her kid can see Mom at work (and get paid a few millions dollars to give the kid food, clothing, shelter, a new Wii, a Rolex watch and fly the youngster to some exotic island for vacation), and I can admire that, but I truly hope she sinks her teeth into something special in her next role (Do it for us, not the kid!). Meanwhile, Breslin delivers her best performance in the serious moments, and reminds you why she was hired for this role when the big climax is reached.

Nim’s Island is one of those movies that is entertaining enough and emotional enough, so it is worth an afternoon out with a young one who is looking forward to seeing it.

Nim's Island is rated PG for mild adventure action and brief language.