Turtle Diary

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Turtle Diary

PG

1985

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Neara (Glenda Jackson) is a successful children's book author with a bad case of writer's block, so she looks to aquatic life for inspiration. At a London aquarium she chances on William (Ben Kingsley), a diffident bookseller with an enthusiasm for turtles. Musing over the hopelessly confined state of a group of tank-dwelling sea turtles, Neara and William, with the help of sympathetic zookeeper George (Michael Gambon), conspire to break the turtles free from captivity.

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

What's left is not quite Delia Swallow for grown-ups; but the bland world this film inhabits is almost as quaint, complacent and parochial.

Jun 24, 2006

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

A small, eccentric, exquisitely acted comedy that manages to be as eerie as it is funny. Though it eventually seems somewhat less than the sum of its parts, it's a most engaging shaggy-turtle story.

May 20, 2003

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Ben Kingsley's smile, so warm and mysterious, is the sun that shines all through "Turtle Diary."

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Ángel Fernández-Santos

El Pais (Spain)

The metaphor is so poor that Harold Pinter's talent doesn't manage to elevate the movie... provoking in viewers a feeling of frustration. [Full Review in Spanish]

Apr 22, 2020

Full Review

TV Guide

An intelligent, witty, offbeat, and somewhat eccentric comedy based on the novel by Russell Hoban.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 3, 2015

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 29, 2005

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Audience Member

Glenda Jackson and Ben Kingsley liberate turtles from an aquarium and return them to the sea in this charming, quirky comedy populated with peculiar people.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved this charming film! Such odd characters, and such an odd script, too, but lovely. Not everything is about the turtle caper, but also about their lives and how freeing the turtles freed themselves. Wonderful performances.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

[i]I am prejudiced, I like Ben Kingsley. Saw this movie a year ago, and[/i] [i]I want to see it again. There are relatively few movies in this film genre.[/i] [i]"Turtle Diary" has a good environmental theme and a pretty good love[/i] [i]story. Shows a great love for animals, in a logical format.[/i] [i]////[/i]

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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John Irvin

Director

Glenda Jackson

Neaera Duncan

Ben Kingsley

William Snow

Richard Johnson

Mr. Johnson

Michael Gambon

George Fairbairn

Rosemary Leach

Mrs. Charlie Inchcliff

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Synopsis

Neara (Glenda Jackson) is a successful children's book author with a bad case of writer's block, so she looks to aquatic life for inspiration. At a London aquarium she chances on William (Ben Kingsley), a diffident bookseller with an enthusiasm for turtles. Musing over the hopelessly confined state of a group of tank-dwelling sea turtles, Neara and William, with the help of sympathetic zookeeper George (Michael Gambon), conspire to break the turtles free from captivity.

Director: John Irvin
Producer: Richard Johnson
Screenwriter: Harold Pinter
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround