The Magic of Belle Isle

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The Magic of Belle Isle

PG

2012

1h 49m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

31%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

An alcoholic, disabled novelist finds his muse again after he moves into a lakeside cabin and meets a single mother and her daughters.

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Critics Consensus

Neither Rob Reiner nor Morgan Freeman are able to conjure up their old magic in this dull trifle, with both director and star appearing content to tread through the paces of the saccharine script.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Hopeless drivel.

Feb 15, 2020

Full Review

Serena Donadoni

IndieWire

There's a comforting inevitability to The Magic of Belle Isle, as an alcoholic author spends a soothing, rejuvenating summer in a sleepy lakeside village.

Rated: B

Nov 1, 2012

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

If this were real life and not a movie, Mr. Wildhorn would be written off as a crank and ostracized within a week.

Rated: 1/4

Jul 12, 2012

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Clayton Davis

AwardsCircuit.com

All we're left with is an uneven story that could have landed on "Best of Straight-to-DVD" shelves or the $1 bin at your local Walmart for Grandma to find.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 16, 2014

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Uninspiring sentimental inspirational pic.

Rated: C

Dec 12, 2012

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

The problems with the dialog and story are overcome by the fact that this is a very nice, warm, romantic story with some magic in it.

Rated: B

Nov 27, 2012

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thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/25

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Jill L

A sweet, predictable story. Morgan Freeman is great. The dialogue is quite poor. It does not sound authentic/natural most of the time. I did enjoy Monty's eloquent speaking and wry comments. Virginia is an impossibly perfect mother, composed, careful and reserved in personality and in her choice of choice of words. Annoyingly so. No depth of character. I couldn't believe that she didn't burst into tears when she saw Monty again. How does she make a living? Why doesn't she have a job? I enjoyed Morgan Freeman's acting, Monty's story and his "literary"/eloquent manner of speaking. I liked the story, but the relationship between him and his young neighbor didn't ring true - I think it could have been more interesting from the 9 year old's side. I liked the story, but cringed at some of the dialogue, and the gun in the clown scene was over the top. Just didn't fly. And I don't believe what we saw in the dream was waltzing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/19/25

Full Review

Mike M

Ellen I loved this movie. It made us laugh and cry; movies today rarely capture both. This is a classic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/04/25

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nigel s

A 24 year age gap between Freeman and Madsen makes what should have been a heartwarming story about love and second chances downright creepy.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

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Deborah D

Poignant and heart-warming…I loved it. ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Deborah Joyce W

Don't listen to the detractors of this movie. I loved it. Morgan Freeman is gruff, yet gentle, the neighbor kids are perfect, the scenery is splendid, great story, well defined characters... in short, this movie is 100% in my estimation. See it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/28/24

Full Review

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Rob Reiner

Director

Morgan Freeman

Monte Wildhorn

Virginia Madsen

Mrs. O'Neil

Madeline Carroll

Willow

Emma Fuhrmann

Finnegan

Nicolette Pierini

Flora

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Synopsis

An alcoholic, disabled novelist finds his muse again after he moves into a lakeside cabin and meets a single mother and her daughters.

Director: Rob Reiner
Producer: Rob Reiner, Alan Greisman, Lori McCreary, Salli Newman, David Valdes
Screenwriter: Guy Thomas
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Magnolia Pictures, Voltage Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment
Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements|Language|Some Suggestive Comments)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 6, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 26, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.9K
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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