The Magic of Belle Isle

With all the crap coming out Hollywood these days, this is a feel good movie and if you really pay attention to the undertones, the movie lifts you up and is inspiring. The acting is fairly good, and Morgan F. as always has the right line to say at each moment.

If you are in the mood for a family gathering type movie with a happy ending, this is a one to watch.

The movie is inspirational and although the love innuendo between the two main characters can be thought by some to be distasteful, the real age of Monty is never revealed in the film so assumptions should not be made based on Morgan Freeman's real age.

You've seen this before: broken person stuck in their ways is born again through a chance meeting and all who sees are uplifted. The difference here is the subtle elegance Freeman and Madsen bring to their respective roles. The film is still rather slight, with no real emerging crisis or antagonist to speak of, but these characters are inspiring, just as is the story's idyllic setting.

"The Magic of Belle Isle" is a bit predictable...but I can accept that. This is because the story was so wonderfully well made...with great, easygoing acting and an incredible musical score.

The story begins with Monte (Morgan Freeman) moving to a country retreat for the summer. He's an alcoholic and misanthrope....and although a famous writer, he hasn't written anything in years. In other words, he's a mess. However, when he's befriended by a neighboring family, Monte slowly comes out of his shell and finds some things to care about instead of just feeling sorry for himself.

Morgan Freeman simply is terrific and I think the director and writer did a lot of smart things here by allowing Freeman just to act....slowly and meticulously. He's like a workshop on how to make acting look natural and real. He's also ably assisted by a great cast and I really enjoyed the film....and I think its current score of 7 is a bit low.

I didn't know anything about this movie before watching it. But with Morgan Freeman as the leading character, I believed it had potential. Even my husband, who rarely watches movies and likes even fewer, thought it was a movie worth watching. It has humor, pathos, and leaves the viewer feeling good when the lights go up. Morgan F. does his usual amazing performance as a jaded writer suffering from writer's block who (reluctantly) moves to a small community for the summer. He ends up dog-sitting in a house next door to a lovely woman (who is going through a divorce) and her three daughters. The middle daughter, Finnegan, charms her way into his life and his heart in her pursuit of imagination. Although Morgan F.'s character starts out pretty rough around the edges, he is witty, articulate, and increasingly endearing as the story progresses. A "feel good" family film!

Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen played well off each other. Wishing I would have seen it in 2012. The movie is a playful feel good film. It represents what we are sorely missing in society today, RESPECT.