Review of Nim's Island (2008) by Ladyjai D — 16 Jan 2010

I highly recommend you watch Nim's Island in the dead of winter. Doing so will heighten your enjoyment of the wonderful South Pacific scenery that is a huge part of this film. Frankly, there are few other reasons to watch it.

Abigail Breslin is her usual self as Nim Rusoe, the preteen spending her youth on an isolated island with her scientist father. Breslin is the epitome of what happens too often in Hollywood; a relative unknown is cast in a film (in Breslin's case, I'm referring to "Little Miss Sunshine"), nails the performance, and then receives every similar role in town for the next 10 years. Don't get me wrong. I like Breslin. But don?t tell me there aren?t another 300 similar young actresses in Hollywood that are equally deserving of a role like this.

I thought Gerard Butler, cast as the reserved, intelligent father, was an odd choice. Perhaps I had visions of "300" dancing in my head. Butler, however, works out okay in this role, and develops a noticeable chemistry with his onscreen daughter.

There?s really only one other character of note, and that would be Jodie Foster as the obsessive, compulsive, and reclusive author Alexandra Rover. No doubt Foster is incredibly talented, but this time I thought she needlessly exaggerated the idiosyncrasies of her character.

To enjoy this movie, you'll have to sell yourself on the cuteness of Breslin, and some incredible oceanic scenery. As for the rest, you can see the good intentions, but it comes off as cartoonish, uneven, and unrewarding.