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Hildegarde More at IMDbPro »
| Index | 9 reviews in total |
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Hits its target audience, 7 November 2002
Author:
Denise J Hale from Cheltenham, England
This film reminded me of the sort of thing we'd see at Saturday Morning
Kids
club; independent 'ordinary' children, trying to solve their own problems
and taking on the 'baddies'.
Its plot is built around a widow, her 3 children and a duck. Whilst mum
is
trying to hold down a job the children try to help. Enter a bird-poacher
whose dream is to own a beach-bar. In order to finance his scheme, with
his
young side-kick, he catches and sells exotic birds. The duck is kidnapped
for use in his decoy operation - a wildlife sideshow. All the children
want
is their duck back.
Richard E Grant plays the obnoxious Wolf, a scruffy bully, with a high
opinion of his ability to impress the opposite sex and a low opinion
about
everything else.
Enough to say it's a good film that hits its target audience without
leaving
adults cringing (except at the state of REG's feet!). It's a shame that
it
could not have had a general cinema release. My children were rivetted
and I
was pleased that, for once, they weren't watching a cartoon.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
A good family film., 29 June 2003
Author:
Chris from Gosford Australia
Hildegarde was a very well put together family film. \
It had the elements of a "quest" in that the children's pet duck was
stolen
and they went off to get it back. It had a villain, and a sub-plot where
the mother was coming to terms with the loss of her husband and trying to
keep the family together.
Well cast and a good script.
Chris.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Better than Famous 5! Very entertaining, 29 April 2003
Author:
decibello from Melbourne, Australia
This reminded me of an Enid Blyton book - Famous 5 or Secret 7 where the mum's at work & the kids have the most amazing adventures during the day, getting back in time for mum to say "OK, bathtime everyone". Really cute movie, very enjoyable, lots of fun, great for kids and parents too.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
More than just ducky, this beautiful movie is a must-see family film, 18 October 2007
Author:
Amy Adler from Toledo, Ohio
Three children in Australia, Chris, Jeremy, and Isabelle, have lost their beloved father. Their newly single mother is struggling with her dual roles as mother and chief breadwinner. Therefore, Chris is put in charge on the day that she needs to go away on business. Chris leads his younger siblings to town, where they are to enjoy a rare breakfast at a restaurant. But, they see a large, wildlife tent run by Wolf (Richard E. Grant) and can't resist the chance to go inside. Once there, they see many animals, including a duck that LOOKS like Hildegarde, their much-loved pet bird. Racing home to check on Hildegarde and her nest in a nearby pond, they discover that, indeed, Hildegarde is missing and her eggs are in danger. But, Wolf moves on to a neighboring town with Hildegarde and company. How can the kids get their pet back? And, what are Wolf's intentions toward the animals under his care, anyway? This is a terrific family film that will please everyone who sits down to take it in. The children are very winning and the darling duck, although not on the screen nearly enough, is an absolute joy to watch. Grant, a wonderfully talented British actor, plays the heavy here with ease. The scenes in Australia feel familiar and exotic at the same time and the film looks very well-made and attractive. If you love animals, you can't miss this one. But, in truth, families forever searching for suitable films for their brood will find Hildegarde an outstanding and touching choice. It's certain that, after a showing, everyone will be waddling off to bed in a happy, happy mood.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Excellent, 28 November 2005
Author:
JJBustamante from Hawaii
This isn't a big-production movie. It didn't hit the top of box office
sales. It isn't glamorous. But it is a great film.
It is a great movie, not only because it is clean, without harsh or
unnecessary violence, without sex, without swearing, and without other
vice, but it also gives a good real-world portrayal of life. TV shows
and movies almost always show families that are upper-middle-class. The
family in this movie is much more realistic. They're not rich, they
don't come from influential families, they aren't out-of-the-ordinary.
That may sound like a bad thing, but it really is good, as it teaches
viewers of all ages that money and prominence aren't everything.
The West Wing, for example, involves staffers of the White House.
Government employees do not get paid much, and real White House
Staffers have commented that in real life, they can't afford the
expensive clothes as seen on the show. Hildegarde doesn't try to make
such pretensions. The main character, a very-goodlooking Chris, is seen
wearing a shirt that even has a hole.
The plot generally is about kids who venture out to get back their
duck, and that of course isn't usual in normal people's lives, but it
is still done realistically -- the kids aren't mutants with mighty
morphin abilities or anything silly like that.
Yes, this is supposed to be a kids movie, but I'm 21, and I love it.
I'm not a weird sort of 21-year-old. I do watch Family Guy and The
Simpsons. I almost never see any PG or G movies. I'm not in the target
demographic for this movie, but I like it anyway.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
A great flick for kids and their parents, 12 May 2003
Author:
petal652000 from california
It's nice to see a film that's not violent and has positive messages
aimed
at kids. This film is charming and funny, with plenty of adventure and
drama. Everyone will love the duck in the title role. She's so
cute.
The Australian countryside is beautiful to look at, the performances are
great, especially Richard E Grant as the villain.
It will be especially good for little kids because although it's
dramatic,
it's not scary, like so many violent kids films today.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Beautiful heart warming film, 16 April 2003
Author:
lcl-1 from San Francisco
Richard E Grant is excellent as the bad guy. Great acting from the kids and an excellent story and script. Recommended for younger kids. Adults will be moved by the story as well.
Disappointing, 14 December 2012
Author:
daguchna from Poland
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I expected nice, light, but not too conventional movie with a cute
animal and one of my favorite actors. I got only the last two things.
Plot became predictable far too fast, but it wasn't that worse. When it
was revealed that dad of kids died, general atmosphere of movie started
to be too teary and pathetic (including crybaby Jeremy) and it
discouraged me the most. Schematic plot was the next bad thing,
especially when main characters, maybe except Isabel, weren't likable
at all. Typically written villains resulted in terribly waste of
potential - Richard E. Grant is one of the best actors I know and here
his character is reduced to being howling, unfunny maniac. Only
Hildegarde and other animals were nice in watching.
If you want to show your children adventure movie with animal, better
look for something else.
0 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
In my opinion this movie was very badly done. . ., 16 January 2005
Author:
gn-ome from Sydney, Australia
My Friend and I refused to watch anymore of this movie.This was For three major reasons.1> It had a bad story line.2> was very badly shot(with a lot of cruddy camera work).3> all the actors were TERRIBLE.Especially Wolf and little girl.But generally everyone over-acted.Hildegarde was a great letdown to me, but I guess alright for the kiddies as they will like the really bad baddies and the really good goodies.But from my point of view a very lazy film that I could of probably done if I tried.All in all-If you're into crummy movies that have a clichéd plot ( or if you may be a kid). . .than this one is for you!
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