Nim's Island

May 2 2008 by Babette Decker, The Journal

(1hr 35mins) Starring: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler. Directors: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin.

IF more proof were needed that 12-year-old Abigail Breslin, Oscar-nominated star of Little Miss Sunshine, is destined for superstardom, look no further than this.

The diminutive actress takes top billing for this island adventure above two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and action man Gerard Butler (300, P.S. I Love You).

She fully merits the honour – she is absolutely luminous as a plucky tyke stranded on her tropical home when her scientist father Jack (Butler) is lost at sea.

She doesn’t strike a single false emotional note and finds a pleasing balance between gentle humour and inevitable tears.

In her broad comedy role, Foster is hilarious, playing an agoraphobic and compulsive obsessive.

Uniting two generations of Hollywood’s finest talent on screen sustains our interest for a surprisingly eventful 95 minutes.