Director: Charles Martin Smith
Movies don't get more irresistible than this. In the minefield that is film criticism, I imagine there will be those who dismiss the film's efforts, although I can't imagine what some critics could possibly find objectionable here.
"Dolphin Tale" knows what it is, knows what it wants to accomplish, and spares no effort in appealing to viewer emotions. I have several colleagues who resent such tactics. But is that really a flaw on the part of the film? One acquaintance in particular told me once that she despises being emotionally manipulated in any form by a movie. So why go at all? I found myself wondering.
The film takes pride in its innocence. There is no cynicism, no violence in the least, not even any real forced conflict between the characters. (The closest it comes to conflict involves a summer school teacher who objects to his young student taking time off to tend to the injured dolphin, but even he begrudgingly comes around.) The absence of character conflict might turn off screenwriting students and hardcore critics, but sometimes, in this world with a sea of acceptable reasons to shut ourselves off from others, it's nice to bear witness to a heartfelt impetus to actually engage with life.
The movie is based on truth. Hollywood, I suspect, still hasn't quite mustered the nerve to make a fictional tearjerker like this. The story is of Winter the dolphin (played by the real-life Winter), who became ensnared in the ropes of a crab trap and washed up on a Florida beach, where she was discovered by a young boy named Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble). Until that fateful day on the beach, Sawyer had his own share of personal issues; his father recently departed without a word, his cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell) is about to ship off to war in the Middle East, he is failing most of his classes and has a strained relationship with his mother (Ashley Judd). Sawyer's life changes forever upon discovering the wounded mammal. He helps cut her loose, and Winter is taken to the local marine aquarium for medical care. The aquarium is run by Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) and several tireless assistants. Sawyer immediately strikes up a friendship with Dr. Clay's daughter, Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), as they share a few common bonds... Winter for one, and the fact that both have lost a parental figure. (We learn Hazel's mother passed away when she was seven.) To save Winter's life, her tail had to be removed, forcing her to adjust her backside swimming motion from up and down to side to side. This works for a while, until that motion begins to cause irreparable damage to her spine. The situation is grim.
Meanwhile, other tragic events have befallen the citizens of Clearwater, Florida. Kyle was injured in an explosion, has lost the use of his right leg, and is despondent upon returning home from the War. Also, the aquarium is suffering from money problems, and faces no other choice but to sell to an entrepreneur who wishes to erect a hotel there. This would mean no medical care for Winter. One day, while visiting Kyle at the VA hospital, Sawyer takes note of the prosthetics prowess of Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) and has an idea... is there a way to make an artificial tail for Winter? "Nobody in their right mind would even attempt such a thing," he solemnly replies. Then adds, "Luckily, I'm not in my right mind." Sawyer, Dr. McCarthy, and the team at the aquarium work around the clock to help save Winter's life. The collective effort soon gains nationwide attention, and there just might be a way to save the aquarium after all.
The director is Charles Martin Smith, a veteran actor who played the kind SETI scientist who helped free Jeff Bridges in "Starman" and the self-effacing accountant who ultimately joined forces with Eliot Ness in "The Untouchables." The movie contains quite a few emotional parallels to Winter's story (Sawyer's absent father, Hazel's deceased mother, Kyle's lost limb, the aquarium's lack of financial solvency) yet all those subplots are handled delicately and never feel like they're competing with each other or with the central story of Winter. Smith and screenwriters Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi are very careful where they align all those symbolic storylines so that one never upstages the other. It seems like the film should be more contrived and mawkish than it is. The more melancholic moments are tempered with some humorous bits, including a feisty pelican who has made himself at home in the aquarium, and a runaway remote controlled helicopter that wreaks havoc on the unsuspecting marine life.
I realize I've imparted a number of plot points, but I don't think that will impact one's enjoyment. The effectiveness of the movie isn't in the narrative mechanics, but the emotions they evoke; a reasonable moviegoer can see the parallels from afar. The film works despite that.
I, too, have a certain reluctance to be immediately drawn into a film, especially if it's a tearjerker or attempts to be. This one didn't take long to navigate through my defenses. And even for those whose reluctance is more potent than mine, the movie has a way around that... it contains actual footage of the events depicted in the film. From Winter's rescue to the prosthetic tail to the scores of crippled kids who drew inspiration and were giddy with excitement upon touching the miracle mammal. Yep, this story is real. As is happiness. And hope.
NOTE: The movie is offered in most theatres in both 3D and 2D. I viewed the 2D version. I can't imagine I would have found the 3D version more enriching. Either way, the experience is worth it.
* * * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
"Dolphin Tale" knows what it is, knows what it wants to accomplish, and spares no effort in appealing to viewer emotions. I have several colleagues who resent such tactics. But is that really a flaw on the part of the film? One acquaintance in particular told me once that she despises being emotionally manipulated in any form by a movie. So why go at all? I found myself wondering.
The film takes pride in its innocence. There is no cynicism, no violence in the least, not even any real forced conflict between the characters. (The closest it comes to conflict involves a summer school teacher who objects to his young student taking time off to tend to the injured dolphin, but even he begrudgingly comes around.) The absence of character conflict might turn off screenwriting students and hardcore critics, but sometimes, in this world with a sea of acceptable reasons to shut ourselves off from others, it's nice to bear witness to a heartfelt impetus to actually engage with life.
The movie is based on truth. Hollywood, I suspect, still hasn't quite mustered the nerve to make a fictional tearjerker like this. The story is of Winter the dolphin (played by the real-life Winter), who became ensnared in the ropes of a crab trap and washed up on a Florida beach, where she was discovered by a young boy named Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble). Until that fateful day on the beach, Sawyer had his own share of personal issues; his father recently departed without a word, his cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell) is about to ship off to war in the Middle East, he is failing most of his classes and has a strained relationship with his mother (Ashley Judd). Sawyer's life changes forever upon discovering the wounded mammal. He helps cut her loose, and Winter is taken to the local marine aquarium for medical care. The aquarium is run by Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) and several tireless assistants. Sawyer immediately strikes up a friendship with Dr. Clay's daughter, Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), as they share a few common bonds... Winter for one, and the fact that both have lost a parental figure. (We learn Hazel's mother passed away when she was seven.) To save Winter's life, her tail had to be removed, forcing her to adjust her backside swimming motion from up and down to side to side. This works for a while, until that motion begins to cause irreparable damage to her spine. The situation is grim.
Meanwhile, other tragic events have befallen the citizens of Clearwater, Florida. Kyle was injured in an explosion, has lost the use of his right leg, and is despondent upon returning home from the War. Also, the aquarium is suffering from money problems, and faces no other choice but to sell to an entrepreneur who wishes to erect a hotel there. This would mean no medical care for Winter. One day, while visiting Kyle at the VA hospital, Sawyer takes note of the prosthetics prowess of Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) and has an idea... is there a way to make an artificial tail for Winter? "Nobody in their right mind would even attempt such a thing," he solemnly replies. Then adds, "Luckily, I'm not in my right mind." Sawyer, Dr. McCarthy, and the team at the aquarium work around the clock to help save Winter's life. The collective effort soon gains nationwide attention, and there just might be a way to save the aquarium after all.
The director is Charles Martin Smith, a veteran actor who played the kind SETI scientist who helped free Jeff Bridges in "Starman" and the self-effacing accountant who ultimately joined forces with Eliot Ness in "The Untouchables." The movie contains quite a few emotional parallels to Winter's story (Sawyer's absent father, Hazel's deceased mother, Kyle's lost limb, the aquarium's lack of financial solvency) yet all those subplots are handled delicately and never feel like they're competing with each other or with the central story of Winter. Smith and screenwriters Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi are very careful where they align all those symbolic storylines so that one never upstages the other. It seems like the film should be more contrived and mawkish than it is. The more melancholic moments are tempered with some humorous bits, including a feisty pelican who has made himself at home in the aquarium, and a runaway remote controlled helicopter that wreaks havoc on the unsuspecting marine life.
I realize I've imparted a number of plot points, but I don't think that will impact one's enjoyment. The effectiveness of the movie isn't in the narrative mechanics, but the emotions they evoke; a reasonable moviegoer can see the parallels from afar. The film works despite that.
I, too, have a certain reluctance to be immediately drawn into a film, especially if it's a tearjerker or attempts to be. This one didn't take long to navigate through my defenses. And even for those whose reluctance is more potent than mine, the movie has a way around that... it contains actual footage of the events depicted in the film. From Winter's rescue to the prosthetic tail to the scores of crippled kids who drew inspiration and were giddy with excitement upon touching the miracle mammal. Yep, this story is real. As is happiness. And hope.
NOTE: The movie is offered in most theatres in both 3D and 2D. I viewed the 2D version. I can't imagine I would have found the 3D version more enriching. Either way, the experience is worth it.
* * * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
