Nell (1994)
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53% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
62% of users liked it
(37,052 ratings)
A woman is brought to civilization after spending her life in the wilds in this drama. Dr. Jerome Lovell (Liam Neeson) happens upon a shack deep in the woods, where he discovers a strange woman who appears to be about 30, speaking an incomprehensible language. The woman, named Nell (Jodie Foster),… More A woman is brought to civilization after spending her life in the wilds in this drama. Dr. Jerome Lovell (Liam Neeson) happens upon a shack deep in the woods, where he discovers a strange woman who appears to be about 30, speaking an incomprehensible language. The woman, named Nell (Jodie Foster), was raised in the cabin by her late mother, who was incapacitated by strokes (Nell speaks English, but distorted -- as it was by her mother's infirmities); with the exception of her twin sister, who died as a child, Nell has had contact with no other human being. Lovell brings in a psychiatrist, Dr. Paula Olsen (Natasha Richardson) to help determine what, if anything, should be done for Nell; Olsen thinks that Nell should be committed to an institution, but Lovell demands a period of unobtrusive observation instead. When it becomes obvious that the courts will demand that Nell be hospitalized for psychiatric observation, Lovell and Olsen take it upon themselves to gently introduce Nell to the outside world. Jodie Foster's performance in Nell earned her an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress, and she won the Screen Actor's Guild award in that category. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Michael Apted
- Written By
- William Nicholson, Mark Handley
- Genres
- Drama
- In Theaters
- Dec 14, 1994 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Stunningly awful on almost every level.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Somber, ponderous, and pretentious, this is a clinical study of a wild woman (Jodie Foster) raised in the backwoods, far from the interference and contamination (according to the film) of Civilization. It's better to see Truffaut's Wild Child.
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Fred Topel, About.com
Decent triumph over adversity movie. Nell has a unique disability.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jodie Foster
as Nell
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Liam Neeson
as Jerome Lovell
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Natasha Richardson
as Paula Olsen
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Richard Libertini
as Alexander Paley
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Nick Searcy
as Todd Peterson
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Robin Mullins
as Mary Peterson
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Jeremy Davies
as Billy Fisher
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O'Neal Compton
as Don Fontana
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Joe Inscoe
as Judge
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Marlon Jackson
as Male Nurse
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Robin Rochelle
as Teacher
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Dana Stevens
as Rachel Weiss

