"What is surrealism but a second childhood with Freudian overtones,â asks wacky British director Ken Russell in his autobiography. Watching Dolphin Tale with other adults is both a surrealistic and Freudian experience. In the film, a little boy named Sawyer, played by Bella Swanâs younger brother, gets seriously attached to a dolphin named Winter, who is practically human. (Or are humans practically dolphins? The movie doesnât make it quite clear, only that DOLPHINS ARE JUST LIKE US, EXCEPT SMARTER AND BETTER.) The boy and his dolphin almost break up when Winter rejects the prosthetic tail made for him by Dr. Morgan Freeman, and Sawyer gets really emotional: âGod, youâre so stupid, donât you understand anything? Weâre trying to help you!â
Covering the Freudian angle is Ashley Judd, who plays Sawyerâs overprotective and undersexed mother who accidentally makes sexual euphemisms constantly. âItâs my job to get my kid turned onâŠâ she blurts out vehemently to her kidâs summer-school teacher. Kris Kristofferson plays a grandpa and is disgusting and awkward and has never heard of a laundry machine. Apparently, all this stuff really happened, too. Some 11-year-old kids actually saved some dolphin, and this dolphin PLAYS HERSELF IN THE MOVIE. Surreal. Dolphin Tale is a ridiculous, overstuffed distraction the whole family can ignore.