As Good As It Gets

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

As soon as I laid my eyes on the movie that was playing on TV, the way the characters looked like was very appealing. I was also quite impressed by how different the film was, compared to other films, in general. I'm quite pleased to have seen it from start to finish. During the film's events, the owner of an Inn, and her son, are BOTH facing a difficult situation in their respective lives: Kerstin Hawkins is facing the stresses of a foreclosure on the mortgage on her Inn, while her son, Jim, has difficulty with a bully of his own, Todd Moehner.However, the arrival of Captain Charles Johnson, a pirate who wants to help Kerstin and Jim basically changes everyone's lives.The film's soundtrack is quite pleasant to hear, though, it can trigger someone to cry, if they go too deep into it.My hope is that they're working on a sequel to this film, as I've established earlier, this film easily stands out from films produced from this day and age, where Special Effects tell the story more than the characters. I'm very happy that while they did use Special Effects, that they did so only when necessary. If I were to give my two cents for aspiring filmmakers, it would be to follow this film's example. When I watch a film, I watch it for the story that is intended, NOT for just remembering brief moments, where the characters portrayed are basically pushed aside by Special Effects - something this film beautifully avoids. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just start watching it on Netflix for even a few minutes, if you have a subscription.In my opinion, while I agree that the characters might slip a few profanities, that, too, is quite rare. You can tell it's not very frequent. The actors make their respective characters sound quite real and authentic. For example, one character falls in some really cold water, and his reaction in the film sounds basically like how someone would sound if they actually fell in cold water. I mean, if you were to fall into icy cold water, you'd probably let a few profanities slip, rather than watching what you say. Additionally, during the scene where the woman calls the man a "s-o-b", that's basically the only time a profanity has been used to address someone directly, and a well-deserved profanity. Again, it's one of those times when a profanity would be warranted - as we don't hold back when dealing with people who oppose us. I'm not saying cursing is the best habit to pick up. However, due to the minimal amount of it, I can imagine myself showing any kid I would bring into the world, and saying "Ok. See how they said a bad word, just now? The reason why is this and this, which is what makes it OK.". If the profanities were at the same magnitude as Sausage Party, for instance, then, I'd have doubts about the film's quality. However, it's not that frequent.One last point that I'd like to make is that this film takes place in Canada, and I'm quite fond of my country. I found it quite nice to learn some facts about my nation. To my knowledge, there aren't all that many films that take place in Canada, and who also provide some factual information about this great nation.All in all, this is a memorable film that I will recommend that I watch with my sister, when she comes to visit.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this movie and the animation reminded me of all the Don Bluth movies I watched as kid like Secret of Nimh and the American Tail films. It was mysterious and interesting enough to hold my 6, 9, and 10 year-olds, but I should have known things were going to get gritty after the first "damn" reference in the first 5 minutes. I hung in there with my kids until one of my kids finally complained about the language and I knew I had made the wrong choice. I wished there had been more kid- friendly reviews when I was researching this and I actually created an IMDb account just so I could edit the Parental Guide and help some other parents make a more informed decision than I did. It's sad when you have great voice talents and an interesting story ruined by language that should not be in an animated movie. Mind you Netflix had this rated for ages 7-10. I will be more cautious about their guidance in the future. If not, for the unnecessary language, I would have made it through more than half of it.

I liked this movie a lot, but there were some things that I thought deserved to be explained more (e.g., why did Meg have such a chip on her shoulder and why was bringing an American auto to Nova Scotia through Newfoundland considered smuggling?), so I bought and read the novel "Pirate's Passage" by William Gilkerson, upon which the movie was based.After reading the novel I would say that the movie was inspired by, rather than based on the book, as the main characters are the same, but the plots are much different. The book gives sufficient back story for Meg for the reader to understand the chip on her shoulder. The auto does not even occur in the book. I thought that the plot of the book was far better than that of the movie, so if you liked the movie you should read the book.

I missed the first few minutes of this animated production and focused in when I heard Donald Sutherland's voice, as I try to watch anything he has participated in. I found myself easily drawn into a simple story with some clever ideas. As the movie progressed, I felt it would have been wonderful to have my grandson watching with us.The story felt like a Hanna-Barbera movie, but the animation is a totally different style. A young Nova Scotia boy is helped by a ghost pirate to discover about local history, and how to deal with a school bully. His home is a small mansion/inn run by his widowed mother, whose mortgage holder also covets the site for his own plans. Our young boy discovers there are bullies outside of school-yards as well.Parts of the story unfold in a predictable fashion -- which is desirable in a movie like this. Still there are enough changes and creative areas for all ages to enjoy. You may even learn a thing or two about pirates of the Atlantic.