THE MAGIC OF BELLE ISLE

US, 2012, 109 minutes, Colour.
Morgan Freeman, Virginia Madsen, Emma Fuhrmann, Madeline Caroll, Fred Willard, Kevin Pollack, Ash Christian.
Directed by Rob Reiner.

The Magic of Belle Isle is a summer story, a pleasant story about how a cranky alcoholic man could rediscover his real self. In many ways it seems a film for the family, for children, especially young girls, a film for parents. That is the tone of the title. However, it is also a serious film about the central character, his life, disability, his career, his collapse.

The film has beautiful settings, a town on water in upstate New York. It is something of a close community, the family next door, mother with three daughters, a mentally impaired young man with his mother up the street, a man who exercises and collapses, his rather dominating neighbour.

The presence and performance of Morgan Freeman, always an actor with great gravitas, with one of the best voices in Hollywood, beautifully articulated and modulated, and able to deliver rather rhetorical lines as if this is the way that everybody spoke. Here he is a celebrated author of western novels, with awards, who was stopped writing and is drinking continually. His earnest nephew has found him a place to live, the home of a man who looks after dogs. He has to look after the dog and there are many very amusing scenes as he talks with the dog, tries to train him. His nephew has brought his typewriter but he resists writing.

He is very agreeable with the town’s people, being forced to go to the wake of the man who died, and to read aloud the eulogy written by Fred Willard. He befriends the mentally impaired young man, inviting him to be his Western sidekick to his character of his novels, Jubal.

Of the main friendships the closest is with his next door neighbours, the O’Neill? family, with Virginia Madsen as a mother, divorced, with three young daughters. The focus is on the middle daughter, Finn, Emma Fuhrmann, who befriends the author and asks him to teach her how to make up stories – which he does, giving the film an added bonus about imagination and stories.

While the film does focus on ordinary lives and on ordinary difficulties, it is upbeat in its presentation, directed by Rob Reiner, who previously worked with Morgan Freeman on The Bucket List.

1. A genial film? Comic serious? For a family audience? The children, young girls? For adults?

2. The setting, Belle Isle, the water, the island, the town, the shops, homes? Ordinary American city? The musical score?

3. The film anchored in the performance by Morgan Freeman, his screen presence, gravitas, the strength of his voice, articulation, the scenes of his reading and telling stories?

4. Monty, grouchy, with his nephew Henry, moving into the house, grumbling, his wit and ironic humour, having to look after the dog, settling into the house?
His continued drinking? His being hard on his nephew, not answering the phone to his agent? Settling in for the summer? The amusing scenes with the dog?

5. The O’Neill? family, Charlotte, the separation from her husband, his disregard for his daughters? The phone calls, ringing to say that he would not be coming to Flora’s birthday party, Willowtree and her wanting to be with her father? Life at the O’Neill’s?, cheerful, Willowtree as the moody teenager, wanting to be in the city, disliking the house at the lake, their having to live there? Her mother’s family’s house? The interactions with each other, games, throwing water, Charlotte on the roof because of the impending fire? Their meeting with Monty?

6. Monty and his getting the one dollar shuttle to the shop, discussions with the man behind the counter, buying the alcohol, the comment on what should be on the counter? His watching the people, Carl, a big man yet his mental impairment, at home with his mother? The man doing exercise – and his collapse and death? The friendly man and his continued talk, talk over people, inviting Monty to the wake, getting him to read the eulogy? Finn and her mother at the wake?

7. Monty, his reputation, his books, his award, westerns? His identifying with his character of Jubal? His giving up writing? Henry bringing the typewriter?

8. The encounter with him, Finn’s stories, saying that he ate worms, her wanting to write stories, explaining imagination, what she saw on the road, what she did not see? Her money for the lessons? Continually coming, his asking her to imagine the story, the little girl on the shore, being followed, eluding the man, getting the police? Her gradually understanding imagination? Telling her mother the chosen words, imagination, bamboozle, mentor?

9. Monty, the dinner at their home, his being comfortable, with the girls, Charlotte playing Beethoven, the attraction, his later dreaming about Charlotte dancing with her, kissing her, her music as the communication with him?

10. Flora, the birthday, painting his face, the clown and his bad mood, the collapse of his stand, Monty pulling the gun? His giving Flora the story about elephants, her mother reading it, Tony the elephant, his writing further stories? Finn upset at the stories?

11. The visit of his agent, the actor who wanted to portray Jubal on screen, Monty not ready to sell the rights? The pleasant actor?

12. Charlotte and the building of the raft, the children going to the island, finding their mother’s tin of letters and diary? Willowtree and reading the diary, understanding and mother, the divorce, the reconciliation with her mother, working with her in the garden? Friends at school?

13. Charlotte going to the city, the divorce papers, Monty minding the girls, the swimming, the girls trying to teach him how to text? His telling in the story of his life, playing baseball, the accident, Mary, confined to the chair, Mary supporting him, her death from cancer, his stopping writing, his drinking?

14. Going off the drink, take it back to the store?

15. Carl, his bunny hop, with his mother, her asking Monty to telephone him, Monty doing so? Calling Carl Diego and his being his offsider? And finally Carl being able to be himself?

16. Monty going, the farewells? The message, his buying the house, returning – and a happy ending?