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Dolphin Tale
U (INDIA)
2011
MOVIE IS
inspirational
credible
predictable
sentimental
entertaining
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74 %
82 %
Certified Fresh
$ 95 Million
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Dolphin Tale
Positive Reviews
82
Negative reviews
12
Average Rating
3.2
/5
inspirational
credible
predictable
sentimental
entertaining
All
Positive
Negative
3.0
Bug is a punishingly intense psychodrama; Dolphin Tale is as casual as a pleasant afternoon nap and about as substantive.
Av Club
3.8
But the anthropomorphism of Winter is carried a shade beyond believability.
Rogerebert
4.0
This film is a reminder of why movies that feature non talking animals are so much more entertaining than the gimmicky comedies centering on talking p ..
Common Sense Media
1.5
Though garnished with some heavy dollops of cheese, Dolphin Tale is a surprisingly solid, earnest family pic.
Variety
3.5
Dolphin Tale, an inspirational tale about a Little Dolphin Who Could, will swim into your heart despite some melodrama and predictability.
We Got This Covered
3.0
Smiths uneven ET like clich fest comes packaged with all the trappings of the earnest, melodramatic crowd pleaser even Morgan Freemans there, along wi ..
Time Out
3.0
That it never convincingly places its happily ever after in jeopardy means that Dolphin Tale often feels far more static than it should, but its since ..
3.5
Its a process Gambles talents make palpable and intermittently touching.
The Hollywood Reporter
3.0
Solid family entertainment is delivered in this film inspired by the true story of the first dolphin to be fitted with a prosthetic tail.
3.8
It gives young audiences credit for having patience and imagination, and rewards them with an engaging narrative.
San Francisco Chronicle
3.0
A good shout if your kids like this sort of thing, otherwise best head to your local aquarium.
3.0
Magic Moment: Pretty much every moment the real Winter is onscreen.
Ny Daily News
4.0
While you can fault a DOLPHIN TALE for being much too sentimental and downright saccharine sweet at times, it is hard to resist.
JoBlo
2.5
This is the kind of film where each setback proves a new opportunity for life lessons about friendship, family and resilience.
The Globe And Mail
3.8
It may not be a great movie, but it is an exceptionally touching one.
Philly
2.0
I would expect Winter to charm children as thoroughly as Flipper charmed you when you were a kid.
Philly
4.5
Anyone who has lived with animals on a day by day basis knows that they have souls.There is a vibrancy in their eyes and in their playful movements th ..
Spirituality And Practice
3.0
The youngsters and the dolphin show that theres life left in the old Flipper formula yet... well made, gently comforting modern version of a 1950s liv ..
One Guys Opinion
3.0
But the message is too pure to nitpick: By the end of the movie, Winter has become a mascot for human disability, especially for children, and Dolphin ..
Village Voice
3.1
But the process of fictionalizing Winters story makes it kid friendlier and neatly ties the dolphin with the prosthetic tail to those veterans and oth ..
Rogers Movie Nation
3.0
Its a script with tight hospital corners and cast with dimpled child actors, hoping to offer mildly inspiring entertainment to family audiences starve ..
Blu Ray
3.0
The parallel between the dolphin and the disabled tourists who flock to see it borders on treacle, but Gambles rapport with his finned costar is so to ..
Chicago Reader
3.0
As marine biologist Dr. Clay Haskett, Harry Connick Jr. brings a common sense level headedness that helps keeps the film grounded.
3.0
Laramie Movie Scope: Dolphin Tale A Disney like family friendly film by Robert Roten, Film Critic September 27, 2011 This kid centered Disney type fam ..
Lariat
2.0
(I should not).Also like a dolphin, the movie is sure to be beloved by kids and smiled at by adults, even though it isnt really doing anything.
Eric Ds Nider
3.0
Well, the results, though sugary and overlong, are pleasant enough.
News Review
3.0
There really arent many films that you can take the whole family to these days, but this is one of them. (Parental Movie Review also available)
Screen It
2.0
Interlinked with it is another tale of healing as Sawyers soldier cousin returns maimed from a tour of Iraq.Two hours of redemptive hugs, triumphant w ..
Independent
3.0
And the underwater photography is gorgeous, even if the 3D is under exploited.
Shadows On The Wall
3.0
However, one or two dolphin leaping out of water shots aside, the 3D is largely superfluous and fails to compensate for the attendant loss of colour.D ..
View London
3.1
Dolphin Tale is a reasonably uplift ing kids movie if you dont think about it too much.
New York Post
2.5
Dolphin Tale 2 is a harmless, family friendly film that offers a few nice moments but lacks the follow through to make you remember it a week after yo ..
Deseret News (Salt Lake Ci ..
4.0
The sentiment runs thick and deep in Dolphin Tale, a heartwarming family film based on a true story about a dolphin that was fitted with a prosthetic ..
Az Central
3.8
The dolphin is, quite simply, remarkable, and the unstated message of resilience and adaptation ripples easily off the screen to the smallest viewers.
Boston
3.0
Manages to hit every mildly comedic and heartstring tugging bit in the boy and his animal movie playbook.
Mountain X
4.4
The cast is delightful, the story corny without being cloyingly high fructose, the direction first rate.
Star Tribune
3.0
The underwater sequences are most memorable, capturing the unique playfulness of the dolphin world.
Emanuellevy
3.0
Its easy to roll ones eyes at Dolphin Tale, which is heavy on swelling music and how children aw, shucks! can teach adults a thing or two about holdin ..
Guardian
2.0
Dolphin Tale may please the kids (at least on a first viewing), but it is likely to leave others feeling as if theyve eaten six large slices of sickly ..
Eye For Film
3.5
The highly ranked cast seems a bit wasted with all too predictable surface characteristics.
4.0
No one in his right mind would try to put a tail on a fish, McCarthy mutters.
Susang Ranger
3.8
The movie often seems too good to be true, but by the end I wanted a dolphin just like Winter for my own swimming pool.
Observer
2.5
Its a tiny patch of middle ground but its still there.And its name is Carroll Ballard.
Movies
2.0
It takes a special cinematic formula to appropriately tug at ones heartstrings I think it was developed by scientists somewhere before The Bicycle Thi ..
Movies
3.5
Dolphin Tale is crafted for demographic appeal to all four quadrants and maximum heartwarming.
Time
2.5
Ultimately the film proper comes off like its poster: a copycat that superficially looks the same but lacks in inspiration.
Mr Brown Movies
3.1
But Dolphin Tale turns out to tell an interestingly crowded story.Its rudimentary and even a little clumsy in its filmmaking technique (not a small ma ..
Chicago Tribune
2.0
Hope comes for Winters survival when a local prosthetics doctor (Morgan Freeman) generously agrees to design a prosthetic tail to help Winter swim wit ..
Coles Mithey
3.1
Is it a predictable falsification of fact inspired by a true story.You bet.
Groucho Reviews
3.1
Okay, Im already drifting into snark.Its just my natural reaction to cheese, and Dolphin Tale has plenty of cheese to go around.
Aisle Seat
2.0
An overall neat story, Dolphin Tale is over written and over long, and it loses sight of its own star.
7M Pictures
3.0
Its a mild shame that Dolphin Tale director Charles Martin Smith and his screenwriters have chosen to lard the true life saga up with a bunch of easil ..
Oregon Live
3.0
DOLPHIN TALE may not be a perfect film, but it is an ideal family film.
Maki At The Movies
4.0
One of those rare films bound to delight kids and adults, there really hasnt been such a great, all round family film since How To Train Your Dragon.
Mirror
3.8
Dolphin Tale though, really is a movie that grown ups and kids can enjoy together.
Three Movie Buffs
3.0
Dolphin Tale is flattering, polished, and local chambers of commerce will milk it for years. Even if produced anywhere else, Dolphin Tale is a nice pi ..
Tamp A Bay
3.0
Much of this reflects a credible cast doing their best with a bland script.
Nz Herald
4.0
Why bother when the story is as heart warming as this Are kids really that fickle Its rare to find a film based on a true story much less one as emoti ..
Flicks
3.1
The power behind including footage of real people interacting with Winter reiterates how much better Dolphin Tale would have worked as a documentary o ..
Red Eye Chicago
2.5
Its easy to be cynical ... but then that darn tailless dolphin starts joyfully splashing around and all the corny trappings of the movie simply fade i ..
Stl Today
1.9
Instead of steering toward deep and troubled waters, Dolphin Tale jumps through hoops to engage a young audience.
Stl Today
2.5
Thats not a bad thing; it just means accompanying grown ups or older siblings will have to choke down a sizable dose of schmaltz with their fish milks ..
Ny Times
3.1
Dolphin Tale is good.This statement is not meant to be a direct comment on the films quality, but on its intent and heart.
Dustin Put Man
3.1
But whether or not Dolphin Tale amounts to great filmmaking is debatable.
Christianity Today
3.0
An eminently fine inspiring true ish story of beating the odds and being the best you you can be, and if thats your poison, great.
Antagony & Ecstasy
4.4
But, even the most hardened critic is going to have a really hard time truly bashing the film thanks to its excellent ensemble cast, inspirational mes ..
3.8
With Dolphin Tale, Hollywood dares to do the almost unimaginable: Create a really heartwarming family movie.
Js Online
4.0
Yet with Freeman joined by Kristofferson (as grandaddy Haskett) and Frances Sternhagen (as the hospital chairwoman) amidst the cast of Americas Most A ..
Sky
3.8
tugs at the heartstrings in a couple of obvious ways. But its messages about ingenuity, perseverance, family and resilience are timeless and timely.
Post Gazette
1.5
Director Charles Martin Smith tugs a little too hard on the viewers heartstrings, but Freemans shrewd underplaying prevents the film from drowning in ..
What So
3.5
Most childrens entertainment feels as sugar addled as their target audience. But Dolphin Tale avoids being either anxious or obnoxious, keeping young ..
Jam! Movies
3.0
Those looking to leave the cinema with a warm glow should seek this one out.
The National
3.0
Though Dolphin Tale is certainly much more targeting at kids, it might surprise a few adults too, as despite the hugely predictable plot arcs, its eas ..
Fan The Fire Magazine
3.5
Director Charles Martin Smith overcomes the dialogue limitations and schmaltz, and using a pesky pelican for comic relief, crafts a film that appeals ..
Tri City Herald
1.0
a staggering compilation of various cinematic cliches so transparent a kid could see through them
Filmcritic.com
4.0
Based on a true story, Dolphin Tale is a smart, funny film that packs a solid message.
Media Mikes
4.4
When I write the Cookie Awards in my annual Oscar season column for the Quad City Times, I always include this category: Most Embarrassing Crying Spel ..
Qc Times
2.5
Winter may be a moving symbol of resiliency, but Smiths film unfortunately sticks to shallow waters.
Boston Phoenix
3.0
And there still museums with pay what you wish admission, if not every day, then on certain days weekly or monthly.You just have to know who offers wh ..
New York Time Out
4.5
Sometimes drifts into the emotional shallows rather than letting its inspired by a true story soar on its own.
Vue Weekly
2.5
There are some basic physical comedy gags that the kids will enjoy involving a noisy pelican and a toy helicopter.The pelican made me laugh once, I ca ..
The Scorecard Review
3.0
Kids will love it and their parents might shed a tear or two of joy.
Compuserve
3.5
...if it doesnt bring a tear or two to your eye, you might need a visit to the cardiologist to see what youve got in there in place of a heart.
MSN Movies
3.0
A heart warming story that is one of the best family movies of the year.
Movie Mom
3.8
Even if Dolphin Tale hits every note square on the nose or maybe because it does watching it is surprisingly pleasurable.
Movie Line
3.0
The overall story is better than the actual film. You can tell where Hollywood stepped in and fictionalized aspects of the story. Its still very inspi ..
4.0
But be warned Dolphins Tale comes with lashings of sentimental goo, too.
Birmingham Mail
3.8
Could be accused of mawkishness, but I have no problem recommending a movie that encourages children to love and respect wildlife.
Commercial Appeal (Memphis ..
3.0
While some adults may get impatient with it, kids will undoubtedly find it appealing.
Movie Metropolis
3.8
Nothing can come between a boy and his sea mammal in the sweetly inspirational Dolphin Tale.
Rss Feeds Usa Today
3.8
Director Charles Martin Smith saves Dolphin Tale from becoming a maudlin affair with more sappiness than a Vermont forest during maple syrup season.
3.0
The irony, of course, is that you should be afraid of the dark. And you will be, after watching this scary horror film.
3.8
Animal lovers, be prepared to tear up several times as this heartwarming family film hits all the heartstrings inherent in the genre.
Atlantic City Weekly
3.0
It just wants to make you leave the theater in a good mood. It certainly accomplishes that.
Yahoo Movies
3.0
Dolphin Tale is an enjoyable, but predictable, feel good live action family film that suffers from mediocre 3D.
Cinema Clips
3.1
Dolphin Tale is a reasonably well made and likable story about the courageous efforts of a small, determined band of people who come to the rescue of ..
Toronto Star
4.4
Bottom line: An inspirational, multi layered film for everyone that has depth and meaning for all.
Sarahs Back Stage Pass
3.0
While the plot occasionally feels like Free Willy without the drama, its a cute story if you dont mind temporarily trading in your cynicism for a bag ..
Feeds
4.5
The true story of a lonely, underachieving young lads special bond with a disabled dolphin seems guaranteed to make you teary eyed.
Daily Express (UK)
0.5
Stilted acting, shoddy filming and CGI effects look as legitimate as a sand dollar.
Dig Boston
4.5
Sawyers interactions with Winter make the movie fun for kids especially an intelligent animal connects with a boy in need of attention and affection.
Time to Play Magazine
See Where to Watch
Dolphin Tale