Opal Dream (2005)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 33
Fresh: 23 | Rotten: 10
Earnest performances and Peter Cattaneo's sympathetic direction gives heart to the simple, timeworn script.
Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 12
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 3
Earnest performances and Peter Cattaneo's sympathetic direction gives heart to the simple, timeworn script.
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 1,489
Movie Info
When the imaginary friends of a young girl living in Australia's Lightning Ridge opal-mining town go missing, the inexplicable illness that befalls her soon prompts her brother to organize a desperate search for his sister's transparent pals in director Peter Cattaneo's adaptation of Ben Rice's popular children's novella. Kellyanne is a young girl with a vivid imagination and two invisible friends named Pobby and Dingan. Though her brother, Ashmol, was never the affectionate type, his concern at
Nov 22, 2006 Wide
Apr 3, 2007
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All Critics (37) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (10) | DVD (3)
Opal Dream might be one of those movies that has to catch a viewer in the right mood, or be greeted with scorn.
Top CriticThe film squeezes out its feel-good messages like toothpaste from a tube.
Although Opal Dream marks a pleasing departure from the conventions of the British comedy -- it's based on a children's book and set in the Australian outback -- it's disappointingly small in scope.
With its lessons of faith, family loyalty and the power of the imagination, this is one of the rare non-animated films parents can take their children to see.
Sophisticated cine philes aren't likely to go ga-ga over this one, but Opal Dream is a worthwhile family film, graced with an ambivalent, bittersweet ending and just the right touch of cinematic poetry turning on the gemstone in its title.
It's tear-jerker material but ends up being quite touching, and it's a good choice for family viewing.
Unusual Australian drama has a few moments of violence.
What opens as a delightful kid-friendly drama closes as a stumbly, manipulative yawner.
There are times when cinematic heart-tugging takes on the character of a frontal assault. Opal Dream is one of them.
The film succeeds because of the great lengths to which Ashmol goes to bring her peace of mind.
A family-oriented film that doesn't merely play lip-service to the power of imagination -- it actually demonstrates some of its own.
Shouldn't act as if parents appeasing their messed-up child is as moving as people actually giving in to the power of belief.
Catteneo directs the film with a relatively light touch and he manages to avoid too much schmaltz.
While Opal Dream draws liberally on timeworn dramatic staples, it's the earnestness with which cast and crew believe in the material that keeps its dusty heart beating strong.
One of those heartwarming, 'It's fun to pretend!' fables that's fun for the whole family.
The main attraction of Opal Dream is its warm portrait of a family.
A rather sweet tale about each family member struggling to accept the others on their own terms...provides the sort of heartening, Capraesque movie moment of which we'd all like to believe our lives are capable.
A slightly forced, but ultimately winning children's story.
Opal Dream is saved by the charming and believable performances of the leading players.
The filmmaking is flat, straight, and thoroughly lacking in poetry, and the script tells instead of showing.
Audience Reviews for Opal Dream
It told me no matter what you believe, always have faith. Dream your dreams and follow your heart.
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- Kellyanne: But I loved them...
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Movie: ID: 358070481 Title: Opal Dream Release Date: 2006-11-22 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 2 Status: 1
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The acting is relaxed and believable, with the unfortunate exception of Sapphire Boyce's 'Kellyanne', who comes off as a tad wooden and her character more than a bit manipulative, which would be forgivable were it not for Christian Byer's deft portrayal of 'Ashmol'.
Direction, cinematography and screenwriting are all pedestrian at best, and with a title like 'Opal Dream', you might imagine a more colorful palette, but the dusty grey Australian outback proves to be more difficult to film than its source novella would suggest.
Recommended for families who find themselves weary of Hollywood's by-the-numbers filmmaking and would like to see something a little different.