Nell

Rating:
Summary: "Backwards woman come Alive!"
Review: I really loved this movie. I loved the interaction between Nell(Foster) and Luvall(Neeson). More so was the love triangle formed between Neeson, Richardson and Foster. In the beginning, they're in a custody fight over access to this remarkable woman. In the woman, they end up forgetting what they were fighting over to begin with and learn to love each other. Which was really beautiful. I have to cut this short a bit. So I'll just say, it was a terrific movie and kills me that I lost my own copy. It's somehwre in the house. I just need to look for it.

Rating:
Summary: Not the Nell I was expecting, but still very good
Review: I saw "Nell" on the shelf at my video store and just assumed it was a bio pic about Nell Carter. I rushed home and popped it into my player. Needless to say, I quickly realized it had nothing to do with the beloved star of Gimme A Break.

However, I ended up liking the movie A LOT. How great was Liam Meeson in this? Really great!

Also, I have nothing but praise for Jodie Foster in this. She's one of the best actresses in the world. I've liked her ever since she played the little girl who kissed Bobby Brady and made him see sky rockets.

Rating:
Summary: Nell
Review: I think it was a very nice movie, but it was kind of confusing. I didn't understand the role of the sherrif's wife. I think they should have told you how her sister died. But I think it was a wonderful story and that Jodie Foster was perfect for the part of Nell.

Rating:
Summary: Jode ...
Review: I'm also gonna keep this one short.

Yes, the movie is "good." Yes, Jodie Foster is excellent (as usual).

The only problem I had with this movie was that at the end in the courtroom, Nell--wary of a lot of people, remember--is able to stand up and deliver a moving, emotional speech before the judge, and ALSO comprehend what everyone in that court was saying to/about her. Suddenly she wasn't scared or nervous? On the other hand ... it can be argued that at that very moment her whole life suddenly made sense and her plight became clear.

Perhaps the movie, like MANY others, was made so that the viewer can dream up their own interpretation about what REALLY was going on.

Jodie Foster received her third Best Actress Oscar nomination for this 1994 performance. If she had won--and many believed she was going to because it was anybody's game in 94--it would have been her third win in less than 10 years, which is TERRIBLY unprecedented. It's difficult enough even getting nominated!

Rating:
Summary: intellectual viewers please
Review: If you are one who only likes movies that are geared to viewers with a 13 minute attention span or if you don't like to think at all, please don't watch this movie.
But if not....this movie is a great! I love movies that show people who haven't experienced normal life because it allows us to take a deeper look at things and appreciate things that we overlook. Like standing in the breeze, or the colors of fruits.
Jodie Foster played this part perfectly.

Rating:
Summary: Warm and magical
Review: In "Nell," Jodie Foster wows us, as usual, with a deeply felt, passionate performance. She is Nell, the "wild child" daughter of a backwoods aphasic hermit woman, who raised her all alone with no human contact. Nell's speech is all her own -- it is a striking combination of a private language she had once shared with her deceased identical twin sister, and an imitation of her mother's speech. Her mother, as I mentioned earlier, had aphasia, which includes major speech processing problems. Nell's speech was the basis for the title of the play upon which this film was based -- "Idioglossia." (I believe, for anyone out there who's into things like this, that the correct term would have been "idiolect," as the term for a language spoken by only one person.) Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson bring constant love and warmth to Nell, and to the film, as medical/social-work professionals who attempt to break through to Nell by trying to learn her language. In the background lurk The Media, and The Scientific Establishment, both of which threaten at any moment to swoop in and make Nell's life miserable. The film builds to a heartrending and passionate, albeit rather unrealistic, courtroom self-defence speech by Nell, in which she calls the precepts of modern civilization itself into question.

Liam Neeson's performance is described by one of the editorial reviewers on this page as being "at his teddy bear best." I think that sounds slightly emasculating -- he put more positive, warm energy into this film than many actors project in their entire careers. Show some appreciation! Come on!

Anyone who enjoys this film should also be told about "Wild Child," a Francois Truffaut film that deals, through decidedly less rose-colored glasses, with a true story that was very similar to this one. Another film that has certain parallel resonances, in the sense of a "freakish" individual seeking a chance to be themself in the face of major obstacles coming from the scientific establishment, is "Charlie," starring Cliff Robertson and Claire Bloom.

I thought about giving this movie four stars, only because it puts Nell in the rather unrealistic position of delivering a profound courtroom speech. I decided to go with five, however, because the basic energy of the movie is so terrific. Absolutely worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: Warm and magical
Review: In "Nell," Jodie Foster wows us, as usual, with a deeply felt, passionate performance. She is Nell, the "wild child" daughter of a backwoods aphasic hermit woman, who raised her all alone with no human contact. Nell's speech is all her own -- it is a striking combination of a private language she had once shared with her deceased identical twin sister, and an imitation of her mother's speech. Her mother, as I mentioned earlier, had aphasia, which includes major speech processing problems. Nell's speech was the basis for the title of the play upon which this film was based -- "Idioglossia." (I believe, for anyone out there who's into things like this, that the correct term would have been "idiolect," as the term for a language spoken by only one person.) Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson bring constant love and warmth to Nell, and to the film, as medical/social-work professionals who attempt to break through to Nell by trying to learn her language. In the background lurk The Media, and The Scientific Establishment, both of which threaten at any moment to swoop in and make Nell's life miserable. The film builds to a heartrending and passionate, albeit rather unrealistic, courtroom self-defence speech by Nell, in which she calls the precepts of modern civilization itself into question.

Liam Neeson's performance is described by one of the editorial reviewers on this page as being "at his teddy bear best." I think that sounds slightly emasculating -- he put more positive, warm energy into this film than many actors project in their entire careers. Show some appreciation! Come on!

Anyone who enjoys this film should also be told about "Wild Child," a Francois Truffaut film that deals, through decidedly less rose-colored glasses, with a true story that was very similar to this one. Another film that has certain parallel resonances, in the sense of a "freakish" individual seeking a chance to be themself in the face of major obstacles coming from the scientific establishment, is "Charlie," starring Cliff Robertson and Claire Bloom.

I thought about giving this movie four stars, only because it puts Nell in the rather unrealistic position of delivering a profound courtroom speech. I decided to go with five, however, because the basic energy of the movie is so terrific. Absolutely worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: A very social movie - just brilliant
Review: It's one of my favorite movies, where Jodie Foster plays her role just perfect. The movie also shows the way how much the media folk tries to catch the most sensational stories. By the way: I'm a fanatic vintage denim rag collector. Has anybody noticed at the beginning of the movie the food delivery gay wearing an old worn out Levi's 501 redline Blue Jeans? If this pants still exists I really would like to buy them.

Rating:
Summary: Find serenity and heart in Nell's lost world
Review: Jodie Foster's portrayal of "Nell", a deep-woods young woman somehow untouched by modern times and troubles, is a moving and fragile study of beliefs and survival. How rare and lost the world of Nell seems compared to the rest of civilization. You find yourself wondering if maybe your life could benefit from a simpler approach to everyday living. If we have the basic necessities and a sense of belief in the world and the universe, somehow it is really all we need. What virtues there are in the beauty of the summer mountains! Nell, like a fragile and undiscovered orchid, is located by scientists who propel her into a foreign and glaring world that like the orchid itself, she wilts and almost dies in. Nell will leave you searching for the placid and hidden world that we secretly run to in our minds when the bigger, scarier world overwhelms our existance.
This movie's only tarnish is the ill-cast Natasha Richardson who's delivery and accent are so weak at times that you find yourself actually cringing. It is not enough to tip the scales though, as "Nell" will drift you into a beautiful and necessary world.

Rating:
Summary: intellectual viewers please
Review: Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, and Natasha Richardson star in the drama "Nell". The screenplay was wonderfully written. They take the audience into another world, which may seem unusual to many. Exploring a language and a lifestyle lived by only one person, everything stays heartfelt. That touch is never lost for a single second. Such feelings intensify as the courts try to take this life away from Nell. Everything said and done keeps the audience watching closely. Jodie Foster, who also produced, was rightfully nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Nell. Every drop of energy poured onto the character. This gives the movie the added emotion. Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson wonderfully play their roles as doctors protecting Nell from the hospital and the press. Their roles intensify greatly as Nell begins changing their lives forever. The great creativity of "Nell" makes this experience unforgettable. This is great viewing for all audiences.