Nim's Island (2008)

A young girl inhabits an isolated island with her scientist father and communicates with a reclusive author of the novel she's reading.

Directors:

Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin

Writers:

Joseph Kwong (screenplay), Paula Mazur (screenplay)

Stars:

Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Abigail Breslin	...	Nim Rusoe
Jodie Foster	...	Alexandra Rover
Gerard Butler	...	Jack Rusoe / Alex Rover
Michael Carman	...	Captain
Mark Brady	...	Purser
Anthony Simcoe	...	First Mate
Christopher James Baker	...	Ensign (as Christopher Baker)
Maddison Joyce	...	Edmund
Peter Callan	...	Edmund's Father
Rhonda Doyle	...	Shirley - Edmund's mother
Russell Butler	...	Old Fisherman
Colin Gibson	...	Cruise Director
Bryan Probets	...	Australian Tourist #1
Andrew Nason	...	Australian Tourist #2
Dorothy Thorsen	...	Blue-Haired Woman

Storyline

Nim Rusoe is a girl who joins her father, a scientist, when he does research on marine life on an island. It's just the two of them but she spends her time making friends with all the animals she encounters, chatting on the computer and reading the adventure books of Alex Rover. When her father goes to do some research but when a storm strikes the island he doesn't come back, she gets worried and frightened. She then e-mails Alex Rover hoping that he will come but what she doesn't know is that Alex Rover is a woman who is agoraphobic and germaphobic. But her creation comes to life and eggs her to go. Unfortunately she has never gone anywhere before and is denied her necessities like her sanitary gel by the customs officer at the airport. In the meantime, Nim tries to be strong while waiting for Alex to arrive.

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Plot Keywords:

island | girl | author | reading | scientist | 

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Taglines:

Be the hero of your own story.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild adventure action and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace Official site [Spain]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

La isla de Nim

Filming Locations:

Bowen, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,210,579, 6 April 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$48,006,503, 22 August 2008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$100,074,624, 25 February 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lulu Mickelson, the daughter of producer/screenwriter Paula Mazur, appears briefly in the airport scene as a passenger waiting in line at the security checkpoint.

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Goofs

(at around 22 mins) After the storm, Nim discovers there's power so she re-connects the solar panels. But when she goes back and turns on her computer, it re-boots to exactly the same page as it was last time which is not possible.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nim Rusoe: My dad always told me stories about her- How she was this great oceanographer. Stories about the baby they had and how my mom just had to name her... Nim. She invented that name. At least that's how my dad tells the story. That's all my mother is to me now- just these stories. But they're really some amazing stories. Like the one he calls "The Oceanographer and the Great Blue Whale". Once upon a time, the oceanographer went out on the wide-open sea to find out what was in the ...

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Connections

Referenced in Dadnapped (2009)

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Soundtracks

Stay Up Late
(1985)
Written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz (as Christopher Frantz), Jerry Harrison, and Tina Weymouth (as Martina Weymouth)
Performed by Talking Heads
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc./Sire Records and EMI Records U.K.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing and EMI Records U.K.

User Reviews

Great movie in more ways than one

I have read many comments about predictability, blah, blah, blah! I found this film refreshingly entertaining for all ages. There was something for everyone. Being a female around the same age, I can relate to Jodie Foster since I practically grew up with her!! And I do feel it was great seeing her in a lighter movie than she's been making lately.

Abigail Breslin was cute as always. She definitely can hold her own, but then she always has.

Gerard Butler - well I can never say enough about him. That's why I put great movie in more ways than one. To see him in two roles was just great. My daughter who is 15 got me into him from "Phantom" to "Dear Frankie" to "300" (and I hate war movies usually) to "Tomb Raider" to "P.S. I Love You" and now this movie. We went with 4 of her friends, and after wards we had a discussion on which "Gerard" we liked better. The vote was four for the swash-buckling Alex Rover (myself included) to two for the more clean-cut Jack! We all agreed that we loved this movie.