Nims Island (2008)

"An entertaining, diverting adventure saga that offers excitement and a relatable heroine for children...  Claudia Puig, USA Today
"...an unexpectedly funny performance by Jodie Foster and a unflaggingly spunky Abigail Breslin make for above average family entertainment.  Ken Fox, TV Guide
"It's hard to imagine kids not enjoying the good-hearted, lovingly shot fantasy of it all, and Breslin is charming...  Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
"Exhilarating and enchanting family picture...highly recommended for girls and for boys, too.  Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
"...looks terrific. Flawless CGI and forays into animation keep things visually lively...  Tasha Robinson, Chicago Tribune

Editor's Note 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.

	Jodie Foster
	Gerard Butler
	Abigail Breslin
	Mark Levin - Screenwriter
	Stuart Dryburgh - Director of Photography
	Patrick Doyle - Composer
	Wendy Orr - Source Writer
	Joseph Kwong - Screenwriter
	Paula Mazur - Producer
	Paula Mazur - Screenwriter
	Jennifer Flackett - Screenwriter
	Mark Levin - Director
	Jennifer Flackett - Director

USA Today
"As played by Abigail Breslin with her trademark youthful intelligence, Nim is endearing, enthusiastic, resourceful and imaginative." 04/04/2008

Los Angeles Times
"It's a fun story, particularly in its playful, creative sense of the relationship between fiction and reality." 04/04/2008

Entertainment Weekly
"It's hard to imagine kids not enjoying the goodhearted, lovingly shot fantasy of it all, and Breslin is charming..." -- Grade: B 04/18/2008 p.49

Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his three-pronged adventure story, set largely on a remote island in the South Pacific, is pacy, pretty and generally good fun." 06/01/2008 p.56

Ultimate DVD
3 stars out of 5 -- "Imaginative sequences like animation and animal antics pepper the already complex story with visions of fantasy, making NIM'S ISLAND a thorough entertainment experience." 05/01/2008 p.64

ReelViews 7 of 10
Whenever a movie addresses the subject of a girl living alone on a desert island, the soft porn warning lights go on. So it may come as a bit of a surprise that Nim's Island is a family film in which no one considers skinny-dipping. What's more, its target audience is the female under-10 crowd. So forget thoughts of The Blue Lagoon or Paradise. In fact, Nim's Island more closely resembles Home Alone than either of those movies. Ultimately, the story is predictable and often less interesting and insightful than one might hope (which is often the case with movies aimed at younger audiences). Will kids like the film? Perhaps. At least parents stuck watching it with them won't need to imbibe heavily before sitting through it...Nim's Island is straightforward in what it is and does. There's an element of charm to the proceedings but no real sense of peril, even though a hurricane blows through and a volcano threatens to erupt. The Jodie Foster aspect of the plot seems largely superfluous, except that without her scenes, the movie would have trouble exceeding the one-hour mark. The central problem with Nim's Island is that little happens and the character who is changed by the experience is not the lead. There's nothing especially wrong with Nim's Island, but there's not a lot right about it either. - James Berardinelli

Reel.com 6 of 10
Movies aimed at preteen boys are a dime a dozen, particularly as we approach the summer when superhero movies compete with science-fiction sequels and bawdy high school comedies for available multiplex screens...Young girls, unfortunately, aren't so lucky. On the rare occasion that Hollywood does decide to throw teen girls a bone, they're spoon-fed skeletal garbage like the dreadful Nancy Drew or a doomed vehicle for Hilary Duff. Asking Kirsten Dunst to sharpen an edge for Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man movies doesn't count...Nim's Island tries to rectify this dire situation, and gets off to a strong start before abandoning its imaginative premise for madcap antics. Nim (Abigail Breslin) is the intelligent, inquisitive, and independent daughter of marine biologist Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler, versatile in multiple roles)...Somewhere along the way, however, co-directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett lose their own courage and allow Nim's Island to devolve into a slapdash version of Home Alone on holiday. Breslin and her animal mates use farting sea lions and flying lizards to defend the island from boorish Australian tourists...What begins as a worthy voyage sadly drifts way off course, leaving girls stranded once again. - Sean O'Connell