Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

briantrash My rating: 8 out of 10 (I really liked it) I just watched this and wow, what a movie.I hope no one would let the "average" rating this movie has received on IMDb dissuade them from giving it a try. I can't predict what people will like and what they won't like, but I know that for me it was an experience I didn't want to end. The point of movies is to immerse you in another world, to make you believe you're watching real people going through real experiences. For 2 hours 'Nell' did that for me.The acting in 'Nell' is some of the best I've ever seen. There wasn't a false note to be found from a single person in the cast – these actors BECAME those characters. Never once did I feel that I was watching a performance. It was all incredibly real, and that's rare. I was in awe the whole time.'Nell' is full of wonderful things. The cinematography is utterly gorgeous. Normally visuals don't carry much weight with me, but even I couldn't help but notice. And the music, while simple, was so weighty and effective.This is not a movie for people who are bored unless there's fighting and explosions and such. This is a thoughtful movie. It's about people, their life experiences, and how they deal with and are shaped by those experiences.It's interesting…I've read a number of reviews of 'Nell', and the mixed reactions it's gotten for the last 20 years tell me that sometimes even highly intelligent people can see a movie and yet not really see it. Many reviewers would have you think 'Nell' is about language, about the phenomenon of "idioglossia". Trust me, that's NOT what this movie is about. Yes, that may be the framework for the story, and "Idioglossia" is the name of the play on which this is based, but that's not what 'Nell' is about. Simply put, the story of 'Nell' is a story of two of the most basic and yet most profound of human experiences – love and loss. For two hours we are given a window into the lives of these characters, watching them as they help one another deal with these two matters together.I won't say any more about the plot because I would hate to spoil anything for someone reading this, but I will add one more thing. Watching Jodi Foster in the very last scene of the movie…maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but wow. Rarely have I seen an end to a movie that so simply, effectively, and profoundly reflects on a human being's experience of love and loss.My rating of an 8 in no way implies that I found flaws with this movie. When you reach a certain level of quality in art it becomes simply a matter of preference. In my scale, 9 and 10 are generally reserved for movies of certain genres and certain subjects. Therefore, I would not argue one bit with someone who gave this movie a perfect score.

Paul Magne Haakonsen I remember seeing this movie when I was younger, and had a fair memory of how the movie was and that it was a rather good movie. Now in 2012, I decided to get the movie and have another look at it. And I am actually quite happy that I did buy it from Amazon, because this movie is more than good."Nell" is a really beautiful story that will have you swept away and have you immersed into the story in no time. "Nell" tells a story of being human, accepting people for what and whom they are, it is a story of existence, but most importantly it is a story of the heart.I think this was actually the first or second movie I watched with Liam Neeson (playing Jerome Lovell) in it, and to this day, I still think this is his best and most memorable performance. Jodie Foster (playing Nell) is nothing short of extraordinary in this movie. Her performance is breathtakingly beautiful and so heartfelt.You really get caught up in the story, and you want to know what happens next. And the way Nell's story is revealed to you and how she grows, it is like you are right there with her. The director really did an awesome job on this movie. And the way Jodie Foster portrays Nell when exposed to the world and the life we take for granted is really good acting and amazing performing. She really makes Nell come to life as a real person."Nell" really goes straight into your heart and soul and the story will be with you for a long, long time. And you might want to keep some tissues at hand, because the story is really touching, and really helped so greatly along by Jodie Foster.I know that I will be watching this movie again at some point, even though the story doesn't hold surprising twists and such, it is one that can bear being watched more than once.

Matt James In "Nell", Jodie Foster gives, arguably, the best performance of her life. Clearly, she invested deeply in the role and her genuine strength and inner beauty shine so brightly into the character that Nell's beauty and loneliness become completely convincing.The story is more idealistic than realistic (as allegories are wont to be) which is worth remembering throughout - not least when it comes to the courtroom scene. I appreciated the sentiment of that scene whilst privately wishing it had been a closed hearing (full for a custody hearing?) Despite some ragged plot problems (that USGS wouldn't know about the Kellty homestead, that Nell is in really good health, that the lads who deliver her groceries never appear to discuss the 'strange hermit woman' with anyone, and so on) the story staggers to the finish line with an overly idyllic ending.Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson support well locking horns convincingly over which was to become Nell's champion until they realised that Nell wasn't a trophy for an academic white paper. Nell becomes the adopted child, the glue that binds Neeson and Richardson's characters' emotional attachment.The film has some poetic cinematography and good location. But it is Jodie Foster's ability to play crushingly tender moments (the mirror, the lake, the effective memory) that - I'm happy to admit - still bring me to tears and is why I don't watch it a lot. It's a good film for couples who either have, or want to have, children. When you see it, I hope you'll understand why.

Neil Welch Having previously watched Nell one night on my own, I prevailed upon my wife and children (when they were coming up to their teens) to watch it with me one evening.As expected, they fell about laughing as soon as Jodie Foster started talking in "chickabee" language. And then, also as expected, they were utterly absorbed as this unusual and involving story unfolded. For, make no mistake, the quality of Jodie Foster's performance is such that Nell becomes absolutely real, and the audience is intrigued at discovering the explanation for her strange development, and dreadfully, dreadfully worried about what will happen to her.Others have written much better informed and more thoughtful reviews about this film - I will just say that I thought it was an excellent film, and so did my family.