Dolphin Tale - 3 1/2 smiles

“Dolphin Tale,” inspired by the true story of Winter, a south Florida bottlenose dolphin who lost her tail in a crab trap, is a heart-warming movie, one children and adults will enjoy. Although the story is predictable and a bit clichéd, the cast is delightful and the direction solid. Raised by a single mother (Ashley Judd), Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), a shy, lonely, 11-year-old boy, comes to the aid of a dolphin that has washed ashore, tangled in ropes, her tailfin severely damaged and near death. Sawyer bonds with the dolphin while waiting for a rescue team from a local animal hospital. Worried about the dolphin, Sawyer skips summer school to sneak into the hospital, where he’s befriended by young Hazel (Cozi Zuehisdorff), whose dad, Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) runs the facility. Sawyer is so shy he can barely speak, but the people working with Winter encourage him to help with her care. This involves an attempt to preserve her swimming ability after infection requires her tail to be amputated. A prosthetics specialist (Morgan Freeman) at a nearby VA hospital agrees to design an artificial tail, a task that requires several models, before he finds one that works.

There’s also an uplifting subplot involving Sawyer’s cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell), a champion swimmer, who enlists in the Army and returns with a back and leg injury that affects his swimming. He’s depressed until he, too, gets involved with Winter’s recovery. And when word about Winter’s amazing resilience gets out, people with disabilities, children and adults alike, flock to see her. Although Nathan Gamble gives an effective performance as Sawyer, the real star of the movie is the wonderful Winter, who plays herself and steals every scene. The closing credits note that visitors can see Winter at Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Director Charles Martin Smith, who starred in Never Cry Wolf and directed Air Bud, knows family fare and guides his capable cast with a sure hand. The script by Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi not only tells an amazing story but also includes life-affirming lessons. If you see “Dolphin Tale,” stay through the end credits, where the director includes news footage and videos capturing Winter as she interacts with children and poses for photos with military veterans who sport similar limbs made from artificial materials. You might also want to check out Winter’s own Web page. 9/24/11