Eye of the Dolphin (2007)

31% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(1,861 ratings)

A young woman learns important lessons about family and communication while making friends with a group of dolphins in this drama. Alyssa (Carly Schroeder) is a troubled teenager who has been feeling at odds with the world since the death of her mother, the only parent she has ever known. Alyssa's… More A young woman learns important lessons about family and communication while making friends with a group of dolphins in this drama. Alyssa (Carly Schroeder) is a troubled teenager who has been feeling at odds with the world since the death of her mother, the only parent she has ever known. Alyssa's grandmother Lucy (Katharine Ross) has been looking after her, but when the girl becomes more than Lucy cares to deal with, she sends Alyssa off to spend some time with her father, Hawk (Adrian Dunbar). Hawk is a marine biologist living in the Bahamas, where he's involved in a major research project involving dolphins, and he has neither the time nor the inclination to bond with his long-lost daughter. Alyssa is no more happy to see Hawk than he is to see her, and Hawk is on edge as his funding for the project is about to be pulled. But Alyssa finds a supportive friend in Tamika (Christine Adams), Hawk's girlfriend, and as Alyssa learns to enjoy life along the idyllic Bahamian coast, she develops a strong connection with the dolphins, which not only helps her father with his work but brings her closer to her long lost dad. Eye of the Dolphin also features Jane Lynch, George Harris and Christopher Harrod. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Michael D. Sellers
Written By: Wendell Morris, Michael D. Sellers
Genres: Drama, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Apr 21, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jan 8, 2008
Studio: Monterey Media Inc.

Critic Reviews

Joe Leydon, Variety
There's a pleasantly dreamy quality to much of Eye of the Dolphin, and that goes a long way toward enabling audiences to ignore the formulaic plot and enjoy the laid-back charms of this innocuous indie.
Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times
For all its good intentions, Eye of the Dolphin is unsteady and amateurish, with its own problems in getting its message across.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
There's real heart to be found in the story but it comes along with borderline saccharine sentimentality, a too facile ending, and clean outcomes that aren't earned.
Maureen M. Hart, Chicago Tribune
As Eye of the Dolphin makes some jarringly contrived plot twists, a viewer can imagine writer/director/executive producer Michael Sellers listing his assets and pondering how to combine them for one movie.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
A limp coming-of-age tale set in the Bahamas.
Bruce Bennett, Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
A beautiful Grand Bahama island setting and majestic sea creatures can't offset an inert script and lackluster acting.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Drugs and drinking make waves in family drama.
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
[An] unassuming, but sadly unexciting, family film.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The underwater parts of Eye of the Dolphin are kind of pretty. Unfortunately, the rest of this waterlogged drama is pretty ugly.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Eye of the Dolphin is much better than most films of this sort, and if it helps a generation of young girls want to grow up to swim with live dolphins rather than groom My Little Ponys, that's certainly not a bad thing at all.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A lonely dolphin serves as a mediator in the reconciliation of a father and daughter who don't know how to connect with each other.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
There are too many fishy family crises and too few fishlike mammals in this earnest 'Flipper' update, which soft-pedals its New Age agenda until a climactic speech that promises we can learn from our dolphin pals 'not just intellectually but spiritually.'
Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor
This indie, a Flipper for tweens, boasts winning roles by Bogie and Bacall, a pair of dolphins. The human actors don't fare as well.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
If only the wooden acting moved with the fluidity of the underwater footage, the only bright spot in this clunky drama.
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
For all its good intentions, this film is unsteady and amateurish, with its own problems getting its message across.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Carly Schroeder is strong and the film's genuineness compensates for the 'after school special'-style script and production values, making it a pleasant, even uplifting film.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

Acting is not very good, but it was okay. I was bored in the beginning but it eventually caught my attention and I finished it. I like the story...
William G

A harmless parade of seaside cliches.