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      The Borrowers

      1997, Kids & family/Fantasy, 1h 27m

      28 Reviews 25,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Rousing and inventive, The Borrowers is a delightfully spirited children's adventure. Read critic reviews

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      The Borrowers  Photos

      The Clock family - Peagreen (TOM FELTON), Homilly (CELIA IMRIE), Pod (JIM BROADBENT) and Arriety (FLORA NEWBIGIN) behind bars. Homilly (CELIA IMRIE), Arriety (FLORA NEWBIGIN), Pod (JIM BROADBENT) and Spiller (RAYMOND PICKARD) face the nasty Ocious P. Potter. JOHN GOODMAN stars as the evil local lawyer, Ocious P. Potter. The Lender Family, Peter (BRADLEY PIERCE), Victoria (DOON MACKICHAN) and Joe (ADAN GILLETT). Ocious P. Potter (JOHN GOODMAN) says his final words to the Clock family. Arriety (FLORA NEWBIGIN) is captured by Peter Lender (BRADLEY PIERCE). Ocious P. Potter (JOHN GOODMAN) displays his unique extermination technique on Spiller (RAYMOND PICKARD). The Borrowers (1997) The Borrowers (1997) The Borrowers (1997) The Borrowers (1997) The Borrowers (1997) The Borrowers (1997)

      Movie Info

      Children's author Mary Norton's storybook creations, the four-inch-tall family of "borrowers" who live among humans and co-op their possessions. When a crooked lawyer (John Goodman) takes over the Lender family's house, he's got to reckon with the borrowers therein, who launch a campaign to oust the invader and restore the home to its rightful tenants.

      • Rating: PG

      • Genre: Kids & family, Fantasy

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Peter Hewitt

      • Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Rachel Talalay

      • Writer: Mary Norton, Gavin Scott, John Kamps

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $22.4M

      • Runtime:

      • Production Co: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

      • Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR

      • Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

      Cast & Crew

      John Goodman
      Mark Williams
      Hugh Laurie
      Bradley Pierce
      Flora Newbigin
      Tom Felton
      Raymond Pickard
      Celia Imrie
      Aden Gillett
      Doon Mackichan
      Ruby Wax
      Bob Goody
      George Yiassoumi
      Gavin Scott
      John Kamps
      Tim Bevan
      Liza Chasin
      Debra Hayward
      Mary Richards
      Walt deFaria
      Trevor Brooker
      John Fenner
      David Freeman
      Gemma Jackson
      Careen Hertzog
      Marie France

      Critic Reviews for The Borrowers

      Audience Reviews for The Borrowers

      • May 13, 2012

        Pod Clock: We're not vermin. We're not creeps. And we're not pests. We're Borrowers.  "Little People... Big Adventure" The Borrowers is a terrific and fun family adventure movie. It's a movie I wish I had seen when I was a child. Watching now, it still was a fun and highly entertaining film. I can't even imagine how much I would have loved it when I was a kid, especially with the amount of enjoyment I got out of it now as an adult. The film does have a certain charm about it. It's a feel good story with a big message for children attached. No matter how small you may seem in the grand scheme of things; you can always make a difference and have your voice heard. The Clock family is the perfect example of that. They are a miniature family that dwell beneath the floorboards of the Lenders. The Clock's are known as Borrowers. They live off of things they find around the house; making use of things like batteries, cards, and hooks.  The story revolves around the Clock's and the Lender's both losing their home. A corrupt lawyer named Potter has plans of tearing down their house. When a human child finds a Borrower in his room, he befriends it, and soon tries to help the family move along with them. Things go wrong during the move, and the Borrower children are left alone in the world. From there the adventure really takes off and becomes a story of will power on behalf of the human child and all the Clock's. The movie has a lot of slap stick comedy that will keep the kids entertained, much in the vein of movies like Home Alone. Kids should be glued to the screen for nearly an hour and a half. There's just a lot to like here. There's a great cast, including John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Laurie. Harry Potter casters must have loved what they saw from this movie because three of the actors in this film went on to star in the Harry Potter series. A young Malfoy is on display here as well. Plus there is a terrific Hans Zimmer score to bring everything together nicely. The movie looks pretty good as well. It takes advantage of the little people well and puts them in great settings and manages to not make them seem too out of place.  There's really nothing to complain about here. It's solid family entertainment. I watched this without children present and loved it. So that shows that it's either just a well made movie period, or that I have a lot of growing up to do still. Probably both now that I look at it. 

        Super Reviewer
      • Feb 08, 2012

        Annoying, cheesy, dumb.

        Super Reviewer
      • Feb 07, 2011

        great effects, and a great and interesting plot

        Super Reviewer
      • Sep 14, 2010

        The whole story about these tiny people may appeal to kids for a second or two, but overall it's not that interesting.

        Super Reviewer

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