Nim's Island A Movie Review	MPAA Rated - PG It's 1:35 Long A Review by The Dude on the Right

Yup, "Nim’s Island" won out over seeing "The Ruins," and it wasn’t a bad call.

So here we’ve got the always cute, always adorable Abigail Breslin playing Nim. Because stories like this need a little tragedy to start, we learn that Nim’s mother was swallowed by a whale shortly after she was born. Dad, Jack (Gerard Butler), is a scientist and is doing his best to raise her, albeit on an uncharted tropical island, but that’s okay because Nim has lots of animals for friends and gets lost in the stories of Alex Rover (also played by Gerard Butler), a swashbuckling hero who always finds a way to escape a potentially deadly situation. And since Nim has no concept of the real world, she also thinks that Alex Rover is a real person.

Low and behold, one day Dad heads off on a trip to find some plankton only it seems he forgot to check the weather forecast (yes, I know, they are on an uncharted island, somewhere in the South Pacific, but they’ve got internet access and someone probably knew about that monsoon) and gets a little lost at sea. Alright, not really lost, but his boat is busted up and he doesn’t have a real way to get back to Nim. Nim, on the other hand, is freaked after the storm, especially since she can’t get a hold of him through the satellite phone, and even more freaked when a bunch of tourists plan to take over the island. In a earlier moment of shear coincidence, Alex Rover, the author not the adventure hero, e-mails Jack looking for some information about volcanoes, and now Nim is begging Alex, not knowing he is really a she, to come and save her, and find her Dad.

The real Alex, actually Alexandra (Jodie Foster), somehow is able to leave her house, mostly thanks to the prodding of her imaginary character, now on a mission to help Nim, and her travels take her through her own perils, in trying to get to the island.

I suppose that’s enough of a synopsis, but even with some shortcomings I really liked "Nim’s Island." Abigail Breslin is probably the perfect choice for Nim, a happy-go-lucky 11 year old, brimming with self-confidence, until only her animal friends are able to help her while she is alone, and Gerard Butler did a great job as both Nim’s scientist Dad, and the adventure star Alex, although it did get a little old when every time he got his boat back in some sort of working order, only to face more peril, it was the constant "Don’t worry Nim, I’ll make my way back to you, I promise" speech. And a lot of people are busting on Jodie Foster in the role of Alex, but I can’t see why. I thought she was good as the "paranoid of the world" writer whose only friend seems to be her fictional character.  Sure, some of it was slapstickish, but I think that portrayal is probably easier for the kids to understand.

The problem I did have with the movie was that much like a "Star Trek" episode, "Nim’s Island" was filled with loads and loads and loads of setting things up, yet able to wrap up "happily ever after" in the span of about five minutes at the end. I actually would have preferred more time with Alexandra and Nim getting acquainted on the island, and the tourist invasion, though necessary for the story, didn’t work for me as it was almost too "stereotyping" of cruise passengers,

I did find "Nim’s Island" quite enjoyable. It’s probably better for the younger girls than the boys, and it does get a little perilous at times as Dad keeps getting pummeled while drifting at see, but when all is said and done I’d say it’s a solid 4 stars out of 5.  And, oh yea, on the "Dudette Scale," explained in my review of "Leatherheads," it's got a happy ending and isn't too long.  5 stars that way.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!