Nick Nolte

If Moland is a bit more interested in romantic melodrama than anthropology, the plight of the refugee still makes the intended emotional impact.

For a movie about magical beasts, The Spiderwick Chronicles does an awfully good job of pegging childhood emotional realities, particularly in a context of divorce.

Lazarus' cliched idea of a black man is funny in itself...but Downey's immersive take on the immersive actor is pure genius.

Undaunted, O'Connor straightens his spine of melodrama and focuses on the task of building up the film's emotional muscle.

The sheer bulk of talent involved (top-tier technicians and designers included) turns out to be a case of water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

A broad comic tone...The few funny bits and sharp lines amount to fool’s gold scattered around a claim that never satisfactorily pays off.