Dolphin Tale (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  At the heart of Dolphin Tale there is a wonderful story, more so if it is in fact as true as it claims. The actors were all on good form and reasonably well cast, the stereotypes and cliches were minimal and it was well directed. The real problem is the writing. There are so many… More
  At the heart of Dolphin Tale there is a wonderful story, more so if it is in fact as true as it claims. The actors were all on good form and reasonably well cast, the stereotypes and cliches were minimal and it was well directed. The real problem is the writing. There are so many stupid sub-plots and pointless scenes that it really tarnishes what should have been a simple story, especially as it is nearly two hours long. The remote control helicopter scene is a prime example, it takes up 10 minutes and adds absolutely nothing to the finished film but is obviously just there due to its 3D cinema release. A good example in the argument against 3D films. The whole 'solder' storyline was a bit sickly too, not sure why every handicap has to be justified in some way but then again, it comes down to poor writing. A real shame, as it is a lovely story. Don't overlook but don't prioritise, wait for it to be on TV.

• Manu G

  
  Inspired by the amazing true story of Winter Good inspirational movie!I highly recommend this movie for any family, especially anyone with a disability. And as far as the barely believable and possibly sappy plot, sometime real life is like that and that is a good thing! A lonely… More
  Inspired by the amazing true story of Winter Good inspirational movie!I highly recommend this movie for any family, especially anyone with a disability. And as far as the barely believable and possibly sappy plot, sometime real life is like that and that is a good thing! A lonely and friendless boy finds and untangles a hurt dolphin that is caught in a crab trap. He becomes very attached to the dolphin when the tail must be taken off to save the dolphin's life. The boy believes the dolphin would be able to swim normally if it was given a prosthetic tail.

• Bobby H

  
  This movie seemed a bit like this generations, 'Free Willy', I caught a lot of the same ideas and overall family friendly feel in it. Of course, this movie was inspired by a true story, so not sure what all was legit and what all was added drama but the overall conclusion… More
  This movie seemed a bit like this generations, 'Free Willy', I caught a lot of the same ideas and overall family friendly feel in it. Of course, this movie was inspired by a true story, so not sure what all was legit and what all was added drama but the overall conclusion was it was a decent-family friend feel with a great message to be told. Dolphin Tale focuses on a rescued Dolphin befriended by a boy who discovers it wrapped up in a net on the beach. The boy, struggling with his own problems in life, finds solitude in his time with the Dolphin forming a bond between them that helps them both continue on and keep fighting the hardships of life thrust in their direction. An attempt at a bionic tale (which obviously eventually works) is the core of the movie, the message, is the struggle for those with handicaps and over-coming odds in life no matter what they are. I thought the message for children especially, those with disabilities, who can find some type of encouragement and hope through this film was amazing and that's what won me over in a family-friendly film that typically wouldn't catch my mind or time. It wasn't the greatest acting, wasn't the greatest movie, in fact as a movie by itself I am not sure it stands up to many others very well but the overall but the overall message and reality behind the story is what really stood out to me. It's a sloppy movie for a true movie critic, but, its inspiration and a feel good film, especially for children. So for that, it's not for all, but is for some...average on my rating scale...

• Everett J

  
  Starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, and Morgan Freeman, "Dolphin Tale" is exactly what you would expect. It's a movie about a boy(Nathan Gamble) who befriends an injured dolphin. The dolphin loses it's tail, and the boy then sets off to get help to get the… More
  Starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, and Morgan Freeman, "Dolphin Tale" is exactly what you would expect. It's a movie about a boy(Nathan Gamble) who befriends an injured dolphin. The dolphin loses it's tail, and the boy then sets off to get help to get the dolphin a prostetic tail. It's a cross between "Soul Surfer" and "Free Willy". Total family movie, that runs too long and is borderline boring in some parts, but overall it's decent. The performances are good, the dolphin is cool, and the effects are well done. The movie is obviously made for 3D, but I only watched it in 2D on Blu Ray, and it still looks beautiful. That being said, not a movie I will probably watch again, but still okay enough for one watch.

• danny d

  
  animal films are usually terrible, but 2011 has had a short stack of very good ones and this is one of them. the heart works well, the plot moves quickly enough to engage kids and patiently enough to keep their parents interested. the story is inspiring on multiple levels. overall… More
  animal films are usually terrible, but 2011 has had a short stack of very good ones and this is one of them. the heart works well, the plot moves quickly enough to engage kids and patiently enough to keep their parents interested. the story is inspiring on multiple levels. overall a very good film.

• Brad W

  
  Dolphin Tale 3D is a sweet and kind film that is very hard to dislike. The story is about the true story of a young boy who becomes best friends with a dolphin in need of a tail. The plot is an inspirational film, and even though it sometimes felt cliche and they had a boring sub… More
  Dolphin Tale 3D is a sweet and kind film that is very hard to dislike. The story is about the true story of a young boy who becomes best friends with a dolphin in need of a tail. The plot is an inspirational film, and even though it sometimes felt cliche and they had a boring sub plot about his crippled cousin, the movie ends up being fun and worth watching. The cast is good, they didn't use Morgan Freeman enough but other than that I liked the kids and adults. The score of the film was very well done and beautiful, I liked it a lot. The 3D was not really worth it, it was nice but it is not worth the extra money, so if you can go see it in the regular version. Dolphins Tale is a wonderful film that will make you have a good heart for aquatic animals, and if you want a sweet movie I recommend going to see this.

• Cynthia S

  
  Wonderful. Heartwarming. Everything that I expected it to be...and then some.

• Scott G

  
  sloppy acting, but other than that I found it hard to lay a finger on the bad parts, oh wait, it tried to have comedic structures but they just fell to pieces.

• Mark H

  
  Heartwarming animal drama (is there any other kind?) about a young boy, Sawyer Nelson, who befriends an injured bottlenose dolphin. She loses her tail after being caught in a crab trap in the Indian River in Fort Pierce, Florida. Inspired by a true story, this uplifting tale is… More
  Heartwarming animal drama (is there any other kind?) about a young boy, Sawyer Nelson, who befriends an injured bottlenose dolphin. She loses her tail after being caught in a crab trap in the Indian River in Fort Pierce, Florida. Inspired by a true story, this uplifting tale is acceptable family viewing. It's tough to dislike a film that is so traditional and wholesome. Its heart is in the right place as it advocates a respect for animals that is admirable. You'd have to have a heart of stone to not root for the dolphin's success. There's even a territorial pelican named Rufus that hangs out at the aquarium and provides some comic relief. He's got even more personality that the titular character. Unfortunately the script has a tendency to overdose on the schmaltz. The tender moments between the juvenile and the dolphin are affecting enough. But why did the filmmakers have to slather on the melodrama? Sawyer is a directionless kid living in Clearwater, Florida with his single mother. His older cousin is a promising athletic swimmer who is leaving to serve oversees in the military. There's even an impending hurricane on the horizon. Rough seas ahead. No pun intended. Young children will certainly find much to love here. After all, a passion for sea creatures is practically instinctive in children. It has some tender swimming scenes where the boy bonds with his aquatic friend. But this wildlife saga is as predictable as they come. The plot isn't interesting in any meaningful way. No surprises or twists in the entire 112 minutes. Still give the film credit for being so decent and sweet. Thankfully it lacks hip pop culture references as well. If you're looking for a pleasant live action film for the whole family, this should fit the bill rather nicely.

• KJ P

  
  This film definitely caught me by surprise by placing me in an emotionally driven, family friendly story. As a boy discovers a dolphin stranded on the shore, he cuts her loose. Unable to swim away, the aquatic hospital bring her in for care. As the boy befriends the doctors, he makes… More
  This film definitely caught me by surprise by placing me in an emotionally driven, family friendly story. As a boy discovers a dolphin stranded on the shore, he cuts her loose. Unable to swim away, the aquatic hospital bring her in for care. As the boy befriends the doctors, he makes new friends and miracles begin to happen. This film really shows true emotions towards physically disabled animals and people. It is filled with inspiriation, heart, happiness, heart-warming dialogue and character driven scenes, but what it is a little hurt by is the 3D which is done quite poorly and will distract any moviegoer as the cheesy 3D sequences take over a few happy moments. I must also add that these kids are extremely mature for their age and definitely have a strong career ahead of them. This film brought tears to my eyes in many more ways than one. This is one of the best family films of the past decade, and maybe even the best this year. I love Dolphin Tale!

• Bradley W

  
  Dolphin Tale 3D is a sweet and kind film that is very hard to dislike. The story is about the true story of a young boy who becomes best friends with a dolphin in need of a tail. The plot is an inspirational film, and even though it sometimes felt cliche and they had a boring sub… More
  Dolphin Tale 3D is a sweet and kind film that is very hard to dislike. The story is about the true story of a young boy who becomes best friends with a dolphin in need of a tail. The plot is an inspirational film, and even though it sometimes felt cliche and they had a boring sub plot about his crippled cousin, the movie ends up being fun and worth watching. The cast is good, they didn't use Morgan Freeman enough but other than that I liked the kids and adults. The score of the film was very well done and beautiful, I liked it a lot. The 3D was not really worth it, it was nice but it is not worth the extra money, so if you can go see it in the regular version. Dolphins Tale is a wonderful film that will make you have a good heart for aquatic animals, and if you want a sweet movie I recommend going to see this.

• Panta O

  
  I don't know how, but director Charles Martin Smith managed to make below average movie out of exceptional book and amazing true story of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin that was rescued in December 2005 off the Florida coast and taken in by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Winter… More
  I don't know how, but director Charles Martin Smith managed to make below average movie out of exceptional book and amazing true story of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin that was rescued in December 2005 off the Florida coast and taken in by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Winter lost her tail after becoming entangled with a rope attached to a crab trap and was fitted with a prosthetic one. I love animals and good movies with animals but this is not the one I'll put in that category. It was far from what it should be: heart-warming, dramatic, and cleverly-told! There was no character development and a poorly written script, which changed the original story adding bits which are unbelievable, just caused me to define this movie with one word: cheesy!

• Eduardo T

  
  I had high hopes for this film considering that it's a feel good movie. But it just didn't deliver. Just because a film is feel good doesn't mean that the film is good itself. When you rate a film never rate on the message it gives otherwise you'r just being bias.… More
  I had high hopes for this film considering that it's a feel good movie. But it just didn't deliver. Just because a film is feel good doesn't mean that the film is good itself. When you rate a film never rate on the message it gives otherwise you'r just being bias. Try to look at what makes a film good like acting. Which was decent. The directing was decent as well. There was nothing special to this. The worst part of the movie was the plot build up. There was so many scenes that really weren't necessary. For instance, the scene when the kids fly the remote controlled helicopter wasn't necessary. I believe they put unnecessary scenes just to keep the kids interested. After all this is a kid movie. The writing was also decent. There wasn't any dialogue lines that caught my eye. Not even the story about the kids and the dolphins that Dr. Clay told interested me. The best part was that it's was a touching and heart warming true story. I would recommend this to people that want to take a break from good movies and appreciate a delighted story about a kid and his dolphin.

• Bradley J

  
  Far exceeded any expectations I had, Dolphin Tale is touching (but not sappy), compassionate, and fun. A great family film with engaging characters, Dolphin Tale is reminiscent of other wonderful family movies like Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlotte's Web. Overall Rating: 84

• Jackson W

  
  What's unique about Dolphin Tale is that it is an unoriginal movie progressively maturing into an original film with each scene. Despite it's slow pace, it manages to provide emotionally in-depth characters revolving around the poignant story of a taleless dolphin with A+… More
  What's unique about Dolphin Tale is that it is an unoriginal movie progressively maturing into an original film with each scene. Despite it's slow pace, it manages to provide emotionally in-depth characters revolving around the poignant story of a taleless dolphin with A+ scenery giving lasting memories of an Atlantic Ocean vacation. The brilliant acting is also a nice touch, notably by the main cast and an always delightful Morgan Freeman. Also, it matches The Blind Side with having a strong real life story in which the source has a beating pulse. It's nice to learn about the animal in one of these animal-loving films instead of all of a sudden being expected to care about said animal because it's an animal.

• Juan C

  
  this is the most smartest and gleeful family film we've been offered! it's rocky and free willy combined in this genuine family drama that has surprised everyone in enjoyment and intelligence! A+

• Jim W

  
  A moving and well acted family film.

• Sunil J

  
  Actually a pretty sweet animal movie.

• Max G

  
  The pacing was quite too slow to keep my interest higher than what I anticipated in this animal-loving film about what you already know from the title and the poster. Anyways, regardless it's a very moving story based upon a true tale of a dolphin struggling for survival.… More
  The pacing was quite too slow to keep my interest higher than what I anticipated in this animal-loving film about what you already know from the title and the poster. Anyways, regardless it's a very moving story based upon a true tale of a dolphin struggling for survival. Poignant enough, well-acted, twisty in a few places, and scenery-wise quite a shining treat.

• Noah N

  
  'Dolphin Tale' (2011) is an inspirational and lovable true story. A heartwarming movie best to see with the family.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings