Movie Review for Opal Dream

Summary: Eight-year-old Kellyanne has an idealistic father, Rex, who is one of the many local denizens feverishly mining the landscape for opals; meanwhile, her mother Annie and her 11-year-old brother, Ashmol, are the more 'grounded' members of the family. Much as she loves her parents and big brother, it is Pobby and Dingan who are Kellyanne's most constant companions. As dear friends and loyal playmates, Pobby and Dingan are indispensable. They are also invisible--but when they are suddenly not to be found by Kellyanne, the worried girl falls ill. As Ashmol takes it upon himself to rally the Williamson family and the community around his sister and her missing friends, everyone discovers what Kellyanne has long known; that you don’t necessarily have to see in order to believe.

                         Reviews of Opal Dream
By Ty Burr of Boston Globe (7/0)
            ...it works hard to break your heart and then reheat the pieces...

By Sid Smith of Chicago Tribune (7/0)
            Sophisticated cine philes aren't likely to go ga-ga over this one, but Opal Dream is a worthwhile...

By Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid (7/0)
            A slightly forced, but ultimately winning children's story.

By David Cornelius of DVDTalk.com (7/0)
            What opens as a delightful kid-friendly drama closes as a stumbly, manipulative yawner.

By Peter Sobczynski of eFilmCritic.com (7/0)
            A family-oriented film that doesn’t merely play lip-service to the power of imagination -- it act...

By Eric Monder of Film Journal International (7/0)
            Opal Dream is saved by the charming and believable performances of the leading players.

                         Reviews of Opal Dream
By Peter Canavese of Groucho Reviews (7/0)
            A rather sweet tale about each family member struggling to accept the others on their own terms.....

By Megan Lehmann of Hollywood Reporter (7/0)
            This is another tale about dreamers, transplanted to the Australian opal-mining hub of Coober Ped...

By Glenn Whipp of Los Angeles Daily News (7/0)
            Stories about a sickly girl, her imaginary friends and her indulgent daddy's courtroom saga are p...

By Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times (7/0)
            Opal Dream is an exceptional family film, arriving just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

By Matt Pais of Metromix.com (7/0)
            Shouldn't act as if parents appeasing their messed-up child is as moving as people actually givin...

By Ted Murphy of Murphy's Movie Reviews (7/0)
            Catteneo directs the film with a relatively light touch and he manages to avoid too much schmaltz...

                         Reviews of Opal Dream
By V.A. Musetto of New York Post (7/0)
            ...a heartwarming family fable that parents and kids can enjoy.

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            ...a sickly sweet tale of deep dysfunction masquerading as family solidarity.

By Jeannette Catsoulis of New York Times (7/0)
            In the Australian outback, in the opal mining community of Coober Pedy, Rex Williamson (Vince Col...

By John Anderson of Newsday (7/0)
            A fable, and as such carrying few surprises, Opal Dream features solid acting and likable charact...

By Frank Swietek of One Guy's Opinion (7/0)
            There are times when cinematic heart-tugging takes on the character of a frontal assault. Opal D...

By Noel Murray of Onion AV Club (7/0)
            The filmmaking is flat, straight, and thoroughly lacking in poetry, and the script tells instead ...

                         Reviews of Opal Dream
By Mark R. Leeper of rec.arts.movies.reviews (7/0)
            Opal Dreams is a sentimental film, and such a film needs more charm than it evokes in the United...

By Walter Addiego of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            The acting is earnest.

By Walter V. Addiego of San Francisco Chronicle (7/0)
            It's tear-jerker material but ends up being quite touching, and it's a good choice for family vie...

By Manny Lewis of Seattle Post-Intelligencer (7/0)
            The film succeeds because of the great lengths to which Ashmol goes to bring her peace of mind.

By Tom Keogh of Seattle Times (7/0)
            Opal Dream might be one of those movies that has to catch a viewer in the right mood, or be greet...

By Nick Schager of Slant Magazine (7/0)
            Sweet themes are shoddily executed in Opal Dreams, another tale from director Peter Cattaneo abou...

                         Reviews of Opal Dream
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality and Practice (7/0)
            A touching Australian film about the healing and liberating powers of imagination and love in a b...

By Ken Fox of TV Guide's Movie Guide (7/0)
            The film's sweetness derives primarily from the relationship between Ashmol and his unusual siste...

By Desson Thomson of Washington Post (7/0)
            Although Opal Dream marks a pleasing departure from the conventions of the British comedy -- it's...

By Teresa Budasi of Chicago Sun-Times (3/4) No reference
            With its lessons of faith, family loyalty and the power of the imagination, this is one of the ra...

By Ella Taylor of L.A. Weekly (3/4) No reference
            Slight and sweet unto shameless saccharine.

By Jack Mathews of New York Daily News (3/4) No reference
            The finale will lift you up.

                         Reviews of Opal Dream
By Kam Williams of Upstage Magazine (6/1) No reference
            One of those heartwarming, 'It's fun to pretend!' fables that's fun for the whole family.

By Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) of St. Paul Pioneer Press (3/4) Not Reachable
            The main attraction of Opal Dream is its warm portrait of a family.

Movie Distributors
Focus Features
Strand Releasing

Production Companies
BBC Films
Academy Productions Ltd.
Sherman Pictures (AUS)
Rennaissance Films

Movie Studios
FilmFour International