Be the Hero of Your Own Story: Nim’s Island(2008)

Nim’s Island is a family entertainment adventure comedy that tells the tale of Nim(Abigail Breslin, little miss sunshine) a young girl living on a remote island with her father,Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler). Jodie Foster as Alexandra Rover and Gerard Butler as Alexander rover play the leads in the movie.

To start with, Nim is an adventurous, enthusiastic and resourceful 11 year old who lives on a remote volacanic island. Her father, Jack Rusoe is a famous Marine Biologist who often ventures out in the sea in search of phytoplantkons. Nim is a voracious reader and idolizes Alexander rover, a heroic character, much like Indiana Jones, in a series of Rover books written by Alexandra Rover, a agoraphobic (fear of open spaces) . The movie is shot in a picturesque location and Nim’s life with her animal friends like sea lions and geckos are portrayed very well. When Jack gets trapped at sea, Nim reaches out to Alexander Rover for help, via internet, not knowing its true recipient would be the agoraphobic writer. Finally Alexandra sets out to help the little girl stranded on a lonely island, battling her worst fears in the process. What happens next is very much predictable, considering it is a family movie, you can’t complain too much about it.

Abigail Breslin plays the role of Nim very well in the story, her character radiates positivity, and as the queen of the island she is adventurous and enthusiastic in her role and there is a lot to like about Breslin in her character. Jodie Foster plays a very different kind of role in this movie compared to her past characters. She may not be the ideal comedian, but she doesn’t falter in her role either as an agoraphobic which does require a slapstick style for what it demands. As for Gerard Butler, he is charming in his role, probably the utility character in the movie playing both as Jack Rusoe and Alexander Rover. He does play both the characters differently and proves that he could almost fit into any character. Regarding the storyline, Nim’s Island rides along the thin line between reality and fiction and it is much predictable, but considering that it is a family movie mainly aimed at kids, a storyline of this type is to be expected. Atleast it lives up to its name of ‘Be the hero of your own Story’. Overall, Nim’s Island proves to be a good light family entertainer worth watching.