by Pauline Adamek
Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Elijah Wood, Nell Fisher, Michael Smiley, Morgana O’Reilly
Intro:
…an amiable cinematic journey that takes audiences through New Zealand’s breathtaking landscapes while delivering a blend of humour, adventure, and heartfelt drama.
A cutesy movie with an implausible premise, Bookworm is an amiable cinematic journey that takes audiences through New Zealand’s breathtaking landscapes while delivering a blend of humour, adventure, and heartfelt drama.
Mildred is a blonde-haired little poppet with clear braces who confidently wields an out-sized vocabulary. “I’m a card-carrying bookworm,” she explains. The precocious eleven-year-old (played by a plucky, mostly likeable Nell Fisher) finds herself temporarily in the care of a father she’s never met before while her mother convalesces in the hospital.
Although estranged, her illusionist biological father Strawn (Elijah Wood) immediately flies in from Vegas. Resembling a smiling, bearded Hobbit in a floppy hat and goth getup with an American accent, Strawn’s first impression on Mildred leaves her less than enthralled. He’s nice enough but she’s clearly his intellectual superior.
Mildred wants to search for the legendary Canterbury panther in hopes of gaining the $50,000 reward for video evidence of its existence. Taking charge, she bullies Strawn into setting out into the rugged south island with her and some camping gear. Implausibly, tenderfoot city Dad agrees to brave the wild. Cue scenes of idyllic NZ mountains, plains and pristine lakes, with a good amount of drone footage showcasing the magnificent landscape.
Nell Fisher as Mildred carries the film with aplomb. Intrepid and capable, she’s mostly a bossy, prickly know-it-all and a bit of a mean girl, blurting out strong opinions with brutal honesty. “You’ll have to pardon my bluntness. I’m what’s known as a brutal realist,” she declares. Elijah Wood gives a warm and sympathetic performance as the well-meaning but flailing Dad, who finally calls Mildred out on her hostility. Their on-screen chemistry is bubbly and light.
Bonding with his daughter in the wilderness while on a fun quest keeps the story moving until a chance encounter in their travels with a rambling couple of backpackers turns sinister. Now the pair have to concoct a revenge plan.
Unfortunately, the adventure pic suffers from artificial dialogue, such as the clunky line, “Am I dreaming or did a 42-year old man just wake up an 11-year-old girl to tell her he heard a creepy sound in the night?” Woof!
Nevertheless, this charming Daddy-daughter journey through New Zealand’s dramatic landscapes, from verdant rainforests, to rugged mountains, and serene lakes, is filled with humorous escapades, dark and perilous challenges, and ultimately enough heartwarming moments to be an endearing, if slight, entertainment.
