September 27, 2011 -- This kid-centered Disney-type family film about people rescuing an injured dolphin is based on a true story. Not only that, but the actual bottlenose dolphin named Winter, on which this story is based, plays herself in the film. Parts of the story have been changed, however, to make the film more dramatic.

Our story begins with a young boy, Sawyer Nelson (played by Nathan Gamble of “Marley & Me”), who finds a dolphin on the shoreline in Clearwater, Florida trapped in rope from a crab trap and helps free it. The injured dolphin, Winter, is taken to Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Sawyer goes to the aquarium and becomes a volunteer, helping the dolphin recover. Sawyer's mother (Ashley Judd of “Crossing Over”) is delighted that her son has become fascinated by marine life. He had been a poor student with no interest in school. She allows Sawyer to skip summer school and work with the injured dolphin.

Sawyer becomes friends with Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr. of “Independence Day”) of the Aquarium and his daughter, Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff). A hurricane damages the financially-strapped aquarium, forcing it to close. All the animals are to be shipped off to a new hotel attraction, but nobody wants an injured dolphin. Winter's tale had to be amputated due to injury and she could not return to the wild. A decision is made to kill Winter. Well, we can't have that. So Sawyer and Hazel organize a fund raising effort to keep the aquarium open so that Winter can be cared for. A kindly doctor Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman of “Red”) volunteers to design an artificial tale for Winter so she can swim better.

You can see where this is going. It is a very nice story, but it has been altered from the original story in some ways. For instance, the doctor who built the tail for Winter was not working for the U.S. Veterans Administration, but for a private company, Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics. I mean, a Veterans Administration hospital is an example of socialized medicine, right? This would be a Tea Party nightmare. A government employee of a socialized medicine scheme heroically rescuing a dolphin (and an uninsured one at that) is a libertarian nightmare. And spending all that money on a dolphin when there are sick people who need help, another health care policy nightmare. What's next, health care for illegal aliens or uninsured people? Interesting how you can get a lot of political implications into a story just by changing a few things.

This is a story centered on two kids, as well as another member of Sawyer's family, Kyle (Austin Stowell) who is injured in battle overseas. It is a story of compassion. How people pull together to help each other, and an injured dolphin, too. The story is predictable and follows a well-worn formula, but it does it pretty well. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2011 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .