Dolphin Tale
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: September 23, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallSep 21, 2011
Director Charles Martin Smith presents the kind of movie that gives squeaky-clean a good name. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaSep 21, 2011
Cozi Zuehlsdorff winningly plays a young girl who works at the hospital. With her big smile and natural warmth, she is a charmer. Even better is Gamble, who gives a smart and sensitive performance without relying on any of the normal mannerisms that often afflict child actors. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSep 22, 2011
Even with the conflict overkill, most of the small moments ring true. Dolphin Tale has more in common with "The Swiss Family Robinson" than most modern live-action family movies, where slapstick and cheap laughs feed short attention spans. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigSep 22, 2011
The story of healing and courage is told with a refreshing lack of cynicism, not surprising since it's from the same producers as the wonderful "My Dog Skip." Read full review
75
MovielineStephanie ZacharekSep 22, 2011
Even if Dolphin Tale hits every note square on the nose - or maybe because it does - watching it is surprisingly pleasurable. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeySep 22, 2011
Between the earnest boy, his playful mammal, the film from actor-turned-director Charles Martin Smith is a winning family entertainment. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrSep 22, 2011
The dolphin is, quite simply, remarkable, and the unstated message of resilience and adaptation ripples easily off the screen to the smallest viewers. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertSep 21, 2011
Learning of this story, I thought, aw, come on, give me a break. But it turns out the story is not only based on fact, but the actual dolphin involved, named Winter, stars in the movie as herself. Her new tail functions admirably. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedSep 21, 2011
The movie often seems too good to be true, but by the end I wanted a dolphin just like Winter for my own swimming pool. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerSep 22, 2011
Pitched awfully young, without a shred of the satire or subtlety that is generally found in films aimed at tweeners and above. That's not a bad thing; it just means accompanying grown-ups or older siblings will have to choke down a sizable dose of schmaltz with their fish milkshakes. Read full review
70
TimeMary PolsSep 22, 2011
It doesn't look particularly special - despite the visual potential of underwater scenes - but kids are going to eat this up. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAaron HillisSep 20, 2011
By the end of the movie, Winter has become a mascot for human disability, especially for children, and Dolphin Tale has enough depth and sensitivity to tap into emotion without feeling manipulative. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 19, 2011
This true story of a dolphin with a prosthetic tail has been precision engineered for full inspirational, heart-warming value. Read full review
70
VarietyAndrew BarkerSep 19, 2011
Though garnished with some heavy dollops of cheese, Dolphin Tale is a surprisingly solid, earnest family picture. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 22, 2011
Though the film meanders through some chum-heavy patches, this genuine crowd-pleaser from the producers of "The Blind Side" is a worthy new entrant into the boy-and-his-underdog film genre. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyKeith StaskiewiczSep 21, 2011
While the plot occasionally feels like "Free Willy" without the drama, it's a cute story if you don't mind temporarily trading in your cynicism for a bag of popcorn. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsSep 23, 2011
A true story of animal rescue, and it even stars the sea creature to whom it happened. But it's the humans who do the cutesy tricks that make it a mixed blessing. Read full review
63
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottSep 23, 2011
It's not a perfect film, mind you. It's too long by a quarter, and actor-turned-director Charles Martin Smith ("The Untouchables") lets any sense of real structure slip away in the film's crowded third act. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle SmithSep 23, 2011
A reasonably uplifting kids movie if you don't think about it too much. I get paid to think about things too much, and effective as the movie is, it nevertheless left me slightly put off. Read full review
63
Washington PostSean OConnellSep 22, 2011
It's a whale of a tale, made more special by being predominantly true. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsSep 22, 2011
The best of Dolphin Tale takes it easy. Led by Connick and Judd, plus the crucially empathetic Gamble and Zuehlsdorff, the cast includes Kris Kristofferson as the seafaring old salt of a grandpa. The acting has a nice, low-pressure vibe, in contrast to the film's high-pressure peril. Read full review
63
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreSep 21, 2011
No, this isn't how it really happened. But director Charles Martin Smith ("Air Bud") wrings plenty of heartfelt tears and a few laughs out of this fictionalized account. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineNick SchagerSep 21, 2011
If its plotting can be slight, the film's restraint and earnestness help prevent it from ever tipping over into outright mawkishness, and its performances similarly avoid over-the-top histrionics. Read full review
60
EmpireEve BarlowOct 10, 2011
A good shout if your kids like this sort of thing, otherwise best head to your local aquarium. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSep 23, 2011
Most of the family films churned out today are so junky it's almost a shock to find one in which the animals never spout sassy one-liners, or show off their hilarious hip-hop moves. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallSep 22, 2011
The parallel between the dolphin and the disabled tourists who flock to see it borders on treacle, but Gamble's rapport with his finned costar is so touching that the movie works anyway. Read full review
60
Time OutAlison WillmoreSep 20, 2011
The underwater scenes of Sawyer playing with the dolphin are gorgeous, a cinematic daydream of interspecies connection. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondSep 20, 2011
Call it Prosthetic Flipper, but the truly inspiring Dolphin Tale is perfect family entertainment. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinSep 21, 2011
Dolphin Tale is as casual as a pleasant afternoon nap and about as substantive. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceySep 22, 2011
A potentially appealing story about a rescued disabled dolphin gets smothered with inspirational family values guff. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianM. E. RussellSep 22, 2011
Dolphin Tale is inoffensive enough -- little kids will probably dig it -- and I'm not suggesting that family-friendly docudramas should tightly conform to real life. But when they do embellish, they should distill the story into something more compelling, rather than watering it down with pleasant-but-utterly-forgettable inspirational boilerplate. Read full review
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