A slightly forced, but ultimately winning children's story.
Opal Dream (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:22
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Earnest performances and Peter Cattaneo's sympathetic direction gives heart to the simple, timeworn script.
Theatrical Release:Nov 22, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: A movie for children and grown-ups of all ages, OPAL DREAM tells the touching story of a young girl, Kellyanne Williamson, whose unshakable faith in her two imaginary friends resonates through her... A movie for children and grown-ups of all ages, OPAL DREAM tells the touching story of a young girl, Kellyanne Williamson, whose unshakable faith in her two imaginary friends resonates through her small hometown in the Australian Outback. She lives with her family in a town that is well-known for its reserves of precious stones. Kellyanne is an average little girl, but there's something odd about her friends, Pobby and Dingan, because apart from Kellyanne herself, nobody can see them. For the most part, Kellyanne's fantasy grates on her big brother's nerves. However, their father insists on indulging his daughter – he even takes these two extra 'members of the family' down into the opal mine. One day he unwittingly – or perhaps deliberately – 'leaves' them in the mine and Pobby and Dingan go missing. Kellyanne wastes away with grief, and her brother enlists the town to search for the girl's lost friends. As her brother takes it upon himself to rally the Williamson family and the community around his sister and her missing friends, everyone discovers what Kellyanne has long known; that you don't necessarily have to see in order to believe. An Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival, 2006. -- © Strand Releasing [More]
Starring: Sapphire Boyce, Jacqueline McKenzie, Vince Colosimo, Peter Callan
Starring: Sapphire Boyce, Jacqueline McKenzie, Vince Colosimo, Peter Callan, Eliza Lovell, Andy McPhee, Adam Morgan, Rusty Potter, Denise Roberts
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Composer: Dario Marianelli
Studio: Strand Releasing
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Reviews for Opal Dream
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.
In the Australian outback, in the opal mining community of Coober Pedy, Rex Williamson (Vince Colosimo) hunts maniacally for the perfect stone while his family endures a life of dust and deprivation.
The film's sweetness derives primarily from the relationship between Ashmol and his unusual sister, and draws much of its richness from the unfamiliar and fascinating world of opal prospecting.
You won't find male strippers in Opal Dream, by director Peter Cattaneo, who gave us the sleeper hit The Full Monty nearly a decade ago. This time, Cattaneo delivers a heartwarming family fable that parents and kids can enjoy.
Stories about a sickly girl, her imaginary friends and her indulgent daddy's courtroom saga are probably best left on the page. Witness the queasy, up-with-people tear-jerker Opal Dream.
Opal Dream is an exceptional family film, arriving just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
A fable, and as such carrying few surprises, Opal Dream features solid acting and likable characters.
Opal Dreams is a sentimental film, and such a film needs more charm than it evokes in the United States.
Sweet themes are shoddily executed in Opal Dreams, another tale from director Peter Cattaneo about outsiders doggedly holding onto their aspirations.
This is another tale about dreamers, transplanted to the Australian opal-mining hub of Coober Pedy, where the frenzied quest for the rainbow-colored gemstones creates a modern-day gold rush atmosphere.
A touching Australian film about the healing and liberating powers of imagination and love in a besieged family and a divided mining community.
Latest News for Opal Dream
November 28, 2006:
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November 21, 2006:
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