Greetings,
If there's one thing that I think many young and aspiring writers are in want of, it is a mentor. But, unfortunately, a lot of writers, especially ones that have been doing it for quite a while, tend to lean towards being loners. So, what is a youngster to do? Beats me. All of my mentors have been people I don't know or who are dead. Or both. But some people are blessed enough to meet an inspiring person...in person. Ladies and gentlemen, the story of The Magic of Belle Isle.
The Magic of Belle Isle is a 2012 film that I actually never heard of until recently when it popped up on my OnDemand. But every time I tried to watch it, it kept not working, then it went away, then I found it on Netflix. So, yay. It tells the story of an aging writer named Monte Wildhorn played by the always great Morgan Freeman. Yes, this film gets points just for having him in it. Well, some actors are the equivalent of writing your name correctly on the SAT's. 200 POINTS IMMEDIATELY!! Anyway, he is spending the summer house sitting and dog sitting at the recommendation of his nephew named Henry, played by Kenan Thompson. I know what you're thinking, but relax. This is much better than Good Burger. Monte is not in the best place of his life at the moment, being confined to a wheelchair and not doing any writing. He is pretty much the ornery old man that these kind of movies tend to have.
But, as luck would have it, the aforementioned house he is staying in lies right next to the house of a woman named Charlotte O'Neill, played by one of my favorite actresses, the lovely Virginia Madsen, and her three daughters, Willow, Finn and Flora. Okay, someone knows how to name their children. The kids are played, respectively, by Madeline Carroll, who I gave much praise to for her role in Machine Gun Preacher, Emma Fuhrmann and Nicolette Pierini. Now, as you guys know, I am not exactly a kid person, but I like the kids in this movie. They've got some serious potential in the acting department.
Anyway, it is the middle daughter, Finn, who becomes closest with Monte, as she comes to him asking for lessons on how to be a writer, even agreeing to pay him for help. His lessons come by way of almost a Karate Kid style, where he is teaching, but the student is not always aware when they are being taught. And whilst Finn is figuring out her writing, she also has a summer goal of building a boat so she can reach a small island where she believes the "magic" is.
As time goes on, Monte begins to let himself get closer to some of the residents, like another neighbor named Al, played by Fred Willard, a sweet, young man named Carl, played by Ash Christian and his mother, Karen, played by Jessica Hecht, and of course, Charlotte, as well as her other daughters. You start to sense the idea of all these people being family in a way. Everyone is trying to understand one another, get to know one another, and support each other as best they can, whether a person realizes they want that support or not. I know that some of that might sound cliche, and some aspects of this film might be considered predictable, but the way it's executed, leaving a few things ambiguous yet hopeful, makes it work very well. Plus, you can really feel that the people behind this movie truly wanted to make a wonderful family film, and they did. Those people, by the way, include Rob Reiner, who directed, wrote and produced. Sir, we may not see eye to eye on everything, but I think you can pretty good with this movie stuff.
Honestly, there is no better word for this film than heartwarming. You'll laugh, you'll cry and that is what I think makes a good movie that you can enjoy with the whole family. You know, nothing too heavy for the kids, but nothing too childish for the grown-ups. And I happen to think that we don't get enough of those these days. The Magic of Belle Isle really does have some magic to it, and I highly recommend it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
