André

A seal befriends a young girl (Tina Majorino) and her family (led by parents Keith Carradine and Chelsea Field) in 1962 Maine in this true story that will be loved by most of the kiddies, but adults will not find much interest. This odd little flick by director George Miller (not the same man known for the "Mad Max" and "Babe" set of series) seems to have little aspirations. It is satisfied with strange and silly situations rather than potentially going a more dramatic route. The screenplay is sophomoric and the actors seem clearly aware of that fact and what we are left with is a seal on the land doing its best to act as dumb as its human co-stars. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Great acting by a beautifully trained seal (how do they do it?) based on a true story. One more animal movie for children and families, but with a twist. The interaction of seal and humans is heart warming. Prepare for a lump in the throat with a happy/sad ending.

Andre is a seal , adopted by the family of Harry Whitley the local harbourmaster (Keith Carradine),and a particular favourite of his tomboy 7 year old daughter,Toni (played by Tina Majorina).Seal and child become inseparable but trouble is brewing when the local fishermen blame the animal for damaging their nets ,thus putting their livelihood in jeopardy.They set out to kill him and Toni puts out to sea,in the middle of a raging storm ,to try and save Andre from the fate they have in store for him. Its all very predictable and manipulative not helped by wooden acting and an animal I personally found very resistable .However it will be enjoyed by animal lovers and is suitable for those seeking fare they can watch as a family unit without fear of violence or profanity.

Not my scene but reasonable of its type

GOOD - What gave this movie appeal and made it a bit different is that a seal is the star. The likable seal, "Andre," (in real life, Tory, the sea lion) has cute face with big brown eyes and likes to stick his tongue out and give everyone "the raspberry." The latter joke is way overdone, but it's okay. The most likable human is the father, played by Keith Carradine. The kids are somewhat spoiled but the little one, the star (Tina Majorino) isn't bad.

THE BAD - Too much typical Hollywood families in which (1) there is a stupid teen romance with a rebellious, pouting female teen; (2) the nasty foe who makes trouble for no apparent reason; (3) the nice-guy husband who gets unfairly blamed or is proved wrong in family affairs (the Liberal mother always winning out).

OVERALL - A little more of the seal and less of the teen girls and other annoying people would have made this a lot better. As it is, one viewing was enough.

This is probably my favorite movie ever. Its amazing.. i've probably seen it at least 50 times. It's a great movie for the whole family and I promise anyone who sees it will love it. You will want to watch it over and over again, one time is not enough. Three times is really not enough. The story of a seal and the family who takes him in is amazing, all of the details which are added make it even better. All of the characters are interesting. The movie will make you laugh and cry, but you'l'l be smiling all the way through. It makes you want to find a seal of your own, if thats possible. The characters are people you will want to meet, if not for their great personality then for your own amusement. When I have children, I will show them this movie at least as many times as I have seen it. You should watch this movie- it's my absolute favorite and you will definitely love it.