Goldfish (I) (2007) User Reviews

Great family movie with a touch of dark humour

[malcolmmc · 9/10 · 15 November 2007]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I received this DVD but I was very pleasantly surprised. A cute, funny story, featuring an extremely talented cast. Mindy Sterling plays the school teacher effortlessly and can make you smile and laugh with just a simple facial expression. I've always like her and even at the end when she didn't even say anything she made me laugh!

I loved the touch of dark humour throughout the film, there's nothing better than mixing dark humour and children, providing you get it right of course, which Goldfish does! The two girls were great little actors and played their roles beautifully.

I love The Belle Stars and so it was great to hear The Clapping Song featuring prominently in the movie, what a great choice of song. The White Stripes', "I Smell a Rat" also appears in the film at the most appropriate moment.

Great family movie - I would definitely recommend all parents to get their kids to see this movie, especially the younger children who love Finding Nemo!

Great little film!

[mupart · 10/10 · 22 May 2008]

These are the days of big, over the top effects, shallow themes and overall lack of sincerity in films. So when when a cute, heart-felt little short film like "Goldfish" steps in...unimposing and sincere, it's pretty darn refreshing. It's a fun, whimsical story about a kid's innocent logic on how things work out there. I won't say much else so as not to spoil the ending.

Great direction, acting, photography and just about everything else. I also enjoyed the attention to detail in the music. A top-notch production.

Overall, a neat-o film! Highly recommended!

Cute and twisted little early Marano/Carroll work

[Ddey65 · 6/10 · 4 June 2014]

If you've read enough of my reviews, you know how much I've raved about Laura Marano. However, I'm not oblivious to her work before "Austin & Ally," nor have I completely overlooked the fact that Madeline Carroll has done anything before "Flipped." So, naturally I had to see this twisted short film from Joe Wein about the hopes and wishes of childhood, and the threats they face from the adult world.

Laura Marano plays Suzy Jenkins, a little girl who has seen Finding Nemo a few too many times. So one day when her teacher passes out pet goldfish to teach the kids how to take care of them, she starts to suspect that these fish may actually miss their own parents who might be somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. That's when she decides she has to take action and rescue them with help from her friend Jenny... but does it work? Suzy's teacher is played by ex-Groundlings member Mindy Sterling, who has been playing school faculty members quite often in recent years. However, this time she's not the mean spirited bitches that Francine Briggs or Susan Skidmore are. Speaking of familiar faces, you've got Carlos Alazraqui, the voice of the Fairly OddParents' Denzel Crocker as a janitor at the school, who ends up giving a few lessons of his own.

Since this is a short film, there isn't too much else I can say about it without spoiling anything, so I won't. I'm not entirely sure I'd recommend it for kids like another reviewer would (although I understand why that other reviewer would), but it's certainly okay for the rest of us.