betternow Seems like I'm in a minority here. I wanted to see a dolphin but the dolphin is a minor part. It's really more about the humans. AND why does Hollywood always have to make every movie a romance? They even give little kids a girlfriend or boyfriend and it takes up a lot of time. In every movie there is romance and often sex that if you fast forward you miss nothing but reduces a 90 minute movie to an hour. This is not a dolphin's tale (even though the title is a play on words tail/tale) but a boy's tale. The first hour is about humans. Children will enjoy it but may be bored in the scenes where the dolphin isn't on screen which is most of the time.

FilmBuff1994 Dolphin Tale is a terrific movie with a very well developed storyline and a very impressive cast. It's a film that the entire family can enjoy, we all love sea creatures in general, so I believe it will touch your heart to see all these people coming together to save the life of one dolphin, the characters and the relationship that develops between them over the course of the movie is beautifully written and it's just as pleasing to know this is a true story. There was a lot of character arch that was very underused and that would be my only real issue with this film, there seemed to be a relationship developing between Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd's character, and then they don't speak for the rest of the movie, plus we were given a little bit of information about both Sawyer's dad and Hazel's mom and we are expecting to learn more, but we never do, these are things they could have improved on to make the characters more three dimensional. The performances are simple, they're real, they seem comfortable in their roles and the chemistry between everyone is outstanding, they all feel like a family, even though they don't all play family members in the movie, there is a bond between them that we feel growing over the course of the movie, it makes what could have been another cheesy Free Willy-type film in to its own original movie that had me in tears with joy, it make you realise that there really are real heroes in the world, fighting for good and trying to make a change. A very sweet and emotional two hours, Dolphin Tale is a delightful movie for the whole family to enjoy. A group of animal lovers work together to save the life of a dolphin who has lost his tail. Best Performance: Morgan Freeman Worst Performance: Frances Sternhagen

SnoopyStyle Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) is stuck in summer school and his belove cousin Kyle, who is a champion swimmer, is going to war. One day, he helps rescue a dolphin entangled by a crab trap. The dolphin named Winter loses her tale and she needs her rescuer. Dr. Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) reluctantly agrees to let him help. Kyle loses his leg in the war. Dr. McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) working on Kyle's prosthetic leg is recruited to develop a prosthetic tail for Winter.It's a very lovely family movie. Sure it's pulling on all the heart strings. It's got a pelican sidekick, the adorable kid leads, war heroes, disabled kids, and the dolphin. It may be cheesy. It may be hokey. It may be corny. But I love it all. If you have a heart, you'll love it too.

mozu517 I have several thoughts about this movie: First of all, I find it VERY difficult to find movies that both kids & adults can enjoy together, and this is definitely one! Second, I was hesitant to watch this myself, because it disturbs me to see animals hurt (like the animal-cop reality shows). Luckily, that part was downplayed. Third, as an amputee myself I'm hyper-aware of the way in which people (or animals!) with disabilities are portrayed. This movie is very positive, not sappy or condescending at all. Finally, it offered a "teachable moment" for me & the 10-yr-old I was sitting for. Very touching, though--made me cry several times.