L'incroyable histoire de Winter le dauphin

Congrat's Charlie Smith, you've done it again. Congrat's Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson...and Bob Engelman. I've been a part of a lot of films in our industry, as an actress, a choreographer, a director...and there are only a handful of great films you can point too, that you can watch over and over and over, and it never gets old. Dolphin Tale will be added to that list. From Morgan Freeman to Ashley Judd, all of the actors were phenomenal. The child actor Nathan Gamble pours his little heart into this one, and will become the new it young actor. Harry Connick Jr. is the dad of all dads, and the young actress Cozi Zuehlsdorff will will eventually become a wonderful little actress if she stays away from troublemakers in the industry. There were also a lot of successful actors in the supporting cast that helped make this film one for the ages. like, Frances Sternhagen, Kris Kristofferson, Ray McKinnon, Jim Fitzpatrick, Marc Macauly and Richard Libertini. And last but not least Winter. If you love animals and/or Dolphins..you too will love Dolphin Tale!

Heartwarming family movie that's very sweet and inspirational. If this movie doesn't make you smile, I feel sorry for you. Yes, it's predictable if you're an older viewer but that's not always a bad thing. It's based on a true story about this dolphin who loses her tail and the efforts to give her a prosthetic tail that might enable her to swim normally. They add some fictional elements to the movie for dramatic effect but nothing too corny. It's got a good cast and a good story with a lot of heart. The little girl Cozi Zuehlsdorff is especially adorable. It's a really nice movie with a hopeful message. It's a dolphin movie, people. Who doesn't like dolphins?

I'm not sure if Dolphins like cheese, but I sure hope you do, if you are going to watch this movie. Seriously though: The movie has quite a few moments that might flip other movies over into complete kitsch. I don't know how they managed, but they stayed on the right side of kitsch if you wanna call it that.

And it is a kids movie after all. While I don't cut them too much slack (remember even if you're a kid watching, in 10-20 years you might wanna re-watch your "favorite" movies again and be bitterly surprised), this one just gets by it. There are a few story points that really are too much, but overall the movie is just too confident. Plus you've got to love Dolphins anyway (well at least I do) and their "tales" ...

Beautiful writing. Wonderful acting (by all species!). Inspirational. I laughed + I cried + It gave me hope = FANTASTIC MOVIE!! My family met Winter at CMA a few years ago. It is truly wonderful to see how Winter's story inspires and gives hope to those facing life's challenges. I am so pleased to see CMA get the recognition they so deserve for all the good work they have done over the years. No doubt they will continue to work miracles as they have done with Winter and her friends!! Don't let the PG rating hold you back from taking the little ones. My two kids (under 7) did just fine. In my opinion could very well be a G rated movie.

Dolphin Tale is about as obvious and by-the-numbers as you could possibly imagine from any inspirational animal film. If you saw a trailer, read the synopsis, or even made a rough guess based on the title, I'm betting you could come pretty close to guessing what this movie delivers. It's the kind of script that I could see a screenwriter inventing even if an actual tail-less dolphin didn't exist as the basis for their story. The most interesting element of Dolphin Tale is definitely the fact that Winter is a real dolphin and has actually dealt with the problems dramatized in this movie. Of course, the movie wants to focus on a character who can talk, so instead the plot is more about a young boy who wants to help save this injured dolphin. It's the "Free Willy" formula, and apparently it works for most people because this was a box office success. But the sad truth is that basically every detail of this film is a fabrication used to make a Hollywood story out of a unique animal that could be inspiring on her own.

Once I forced myself to ignore the discrepancy between reality and Dolphin Tale, I was able to get some enjoyment from it. It's hard not to be affected by the tug on your heartstrings when a movie is about a struggling boy who finally finds passion in his life. And, of course, that impact is increased by the fact that a crippled dolphin is part of that story. While most of this movie was overflowing with cliché, I did appreciate that it avoided going straight down every obvious pathway. There was one particular event that I expected from early on in the film, and I was surprised the movie never went there. Probably the most annoying aspect of Dolphin Tale is the trope of the aquarium running low on funds and needing to find a way to stay open. It was one additional layer of conflict that the movie didn't require. I can appreciate Dolphin Tale for what it is, and could even recommend it for family entertainment, but I also wish I could just watch a documentary about how Winter was truly saved.