Title: Dolphin Tale
Director: Charles Martin Smith
Starring: Nathan Gamble, Harry Connick Jr., Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Kris Kristofferson, Ashley Judd, Winter the Dolphin
There isn’t anything to hate on after watching the heart-warming Dolphin Tale. But one can question a couple of mechanical approaches. And just to get this out of the way: don’t bother with seeing this in 3D (somewhere producers are now angry with me).
Based on the true story of a dolphin named, Winter; the 113 minute flick chronicles her rehabilitation after getting caught in a crab trap resulting in the loss of her tail. She is discovered on the shores of a Florida gulf coast beach by young Sawyer (Nathan Gamble). After the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Hospital arrives on the scene, Dr. Clay (Harry Connick Jr.) transports the dolphin to the facility where his team attempts to save her life.
The introverted Sawyer forms a bond with Winter and vice versa. Leading him to ditch out on summer school – much to his mother’s (Ashley Judd) chagrin – as he spends every waking minute with the resilient little dolphin. He also makes friends with Dr. Clay’s daughter, Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) as they work in concert with the low-budget marine staff to keep Winter alive.
Just when there seems to be hope – as Winter institutes a new swimming motion – this action also ends up causing the rest of her body grave-damage. Unless she can resume her natural swimming motion, Winter’s chance of survival remains in question. Knowing that, Sawyer tracks down local VA orthopedic surgeon Dr. McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) and convinces him to try to make a prosthetic tail for his new best friend.
Does it have a Free Willy vibe to it? Kind of (one of the scribes penned Free Willy 2). A few subplots have been on display before in cinema’s past. The difference here is that Dolphin Tale forgoes any real gritty drama, for this is a prime example of a classic feel-good movie. It really is a family delight. Which is evident with on-going cookie-cutter angles such as a pelican named Ruffis – who hangs in-and-out of the aquarium/hospital – and has quite the personality while he interacts with all the characters (think of the animated parrot from Aladdin coming to life to a certain degree).
How this movie is received internally (heart & mind) falls squarely on director Charles Martin Smith’s style. He has a few clever ideas in how scenes are captured through the lens (ex. Winter’s perspective from her tank). He also seemed to be in a rush a lot of the time. When the guy lingers on a scene, the emotion that the audience is yearning to feel is executed fairly well. Credit that to the superb acting by all involved. And that includes the real-life Winter. However, there were so many scenes that the screenplay should have hung on a bit longer in letting these fine performers reel the audience in. This delivery (hanging on) really doesn’t happen until the third act, and you may find yourself kind of just watching instead of feeling until the closing moments. (What’s the rush guys?)
Although the story is captivating – since it is true and stars the actual dolphin – the general theme laid out just kind floats around for the majority of the flick. Plot-points revolving around Sawyer’s recently deployed cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell) was a nice wrinkle; and once again, the acting is a pleasure to watch. It just feels shorted on time to develop. Granted the focus is on Sawyer and Winter, but the script kept briefly introducing a few other story lines that are never fully cultivated (i.e Kris Kristofferson’s role as Connick Jr.’s father).
Perhaps this is yours truly being too greedy. Seeing how all the actors found the correct pitch in their performances; all we needed is for the story to really grab you the entire way through. Instead, the screenplay is playing it safe and settles on providing highlights. But hey, maybe they wanted to keep it simple and playful for the younger demographic to grasp all the messages floating around (never give up, believe in each other, more than one way to learn, etc.). And that’s just fine.
Overall, Dolphin Tale is an interesting and good wholesome movie. It could have been a great movie with the injection of some relevant drama, for the cast was primed and ready to deliver. As stated in the beginning, there is absolutely no reason not to see this nice little tale (pun intended). It’s just a shame the writing and directing couldn’t match the potential of the real life fishy star.
Technical: C
Story: B+
Acting: A
Overall: B
Review by Joe Belcastro
