André, uma Foca em Minha Casa

Based on a true story and from a library book, ANDRE shows viewers the love, triumphs, and companionship animals can bring. It does teach the perfect lesson about wild marine animals, too. A lot of "family" movies express this kind of idea, making this one more of the same like the rest, which was expected for me. They now suffer from a lack of originality and a very simple plot. I also hate the wasteful oldies put into this and I've heard enough of them already! Andre's characterization will charm and delight the young, though. I had a feeling this was going to rip off FREE WILLY at the time of its release. Actually, this is not that kind of movie. Parents and siblings will appreciate this one before the evening supper. Give the kids something else other than cute little old playful animals for a change!

Andre is a seal , adopted by the family of Harry Whitley the local harbourmaster (Keith Carradine),and a particular favourite of his tomboy 7 year old daughter,Toni (played by Tina Majorina).Seal and child become inseparable but trouble is brewing when the local fishermen blame the animal for damaging their nets ,thus putting their livelihood in jeopardy.They set out to kill him and Toni puts out to sea,in the middle of a raging storm ,to try and save Andre from the fate they have in store for him. Its all very predictable and manipulative not helped by wooden acting and an animal I personally found very resistable .However it will be enjoyed by animal lovers and is suitable for those seeking fare they can watch as a family unit without fear of violence or profanity.

Not my scene but reasonable of its type

It was only when I saw the credits, I then understand it's based on a true story. It made me smile even more.

So I guessed I knew why I saw this few days back for a reason. The trailers had won me over and when I saw the movie itself, it was just so heart-warming. Toni's attachment to Andre is one maybe I can sort of relate to. Sentimental attachment to something where one have feeling for after sometime.

Throw in a bit of drama as well, and one can see how Toni reacts especially to how others who don't really like Andre's sudden popularity in the town.

This is just one of those where the family can all enjoy it together. Sometimes we just need a bit of old-fashioned goodness.

Quite a heart-warming movie.

GOOD - What gave this movie appeal and made it a bit different is that a seal is the star. The likable seal, "Andre," (in real life, Tory, the sea lion) has cute face with big brown eyes and likes to stick his tongue out and give everyone "the raspberry." The latter joke is way overdone, but it's okay. The most likable human is the father, played by Keith Carradine. The kids are somewhat spoiled but the little one, the star (Tina Majorino) isn't bad.

THE BAD - Too much typical Hollywood families in which (1) there is a stupid teen romance with a rebellious, pouting female teen; (2) the nasty foe who makes trouble for no apparent reason; (3) the nice-guy husband who gets unfairly blamed or is proved wrong in family affairs (the Liberal mother always winning out).

OVERALL - A little more of the seal and less of the teen girls and other annoying people would have made this a lot better. As it is, one viewing was enough.

Andre is a very sweet type of film, maybe too sickly sweet, but it is very nice and endearing. There are some slow moments in the middling half and some of the writing gets a tad mawkish. That said, the acting is fine, Tina Majorino is really good as the animal-loving daughter who befriends the seal, and it was really nice to see Keith Carradine in a somewhat atypical role as he portrayed the most likable human character. The cinematography is beautiful, the scenery is magical and the music is lovely.

What makes Andre though is the seal Andre, played in real-life by a sea-lion. Andre is one lovable character, he is so cute, endearing and funny. His scenes with Majorino were very touching, and he just steals the film from everybody else with effortless ease. Overall, a very sweet but enjoyable family fare, and I just want to add I noticed no rip-off of anything, then again I am not as observant as some people. 7/10 Bethany Cox