A Lobster Tale

A serious low budget film about what a miracle can do to simple normal people.

I loved every part of it. The ending was exactly how I pictured a true to life experience in the same situation.

Characters evaluate themselves and find the true meaning to giving and receiving. The message in this movie is not hard to see....

It's hard to find other movies that are true to the soul, like this one is.

Don't get me wrong, the movie also has some humor that keeps it fresh and exciting as well. I highly recommend the movie to anyone looking to sit back and relax in front of the television.

It's a story we've seen before: a family that's down on their luck stumbles upon something unexpected, but their sudden good fortune produces its own can of worms. There are very familiar themes and story beats - hard work, school bullies, capitalist temptations, learning what's most important, and so on and so on. I'd swear we've even seen this same story in another movie with Graham Greene, pleasant and ubiquitous character actor that he is. It's more than a little predictable, for that matter, from start to finish. Still, if unremarkable, 'A lobster tale' is solidly made, and enjoyable enough.

It's well made from a technical standpoint; everything about the production design is smartly considered, and every little detail that goes into making a movie is on point. The music is fine, and the direction, and the minimal special effects. As far as the writing goes, we've seen all these characters, lines of dialogue, scenes, and story beats before - but it's okay. If we can get a new exorcism flick every few years, and if major studios can churn out 3-4 superhero movies in a year, why not a recognizable family-friendly drama every few years?

It's fair and valid to deduct points for lack of originality, though in fairness, if originality were a great concern for movie-goers, far more pictures would bomb at the box office every year than not. More substantial than this, however, the chief criticism I have with 'A lobster tale' is that the entire length is painted with the same even-handed tone. No matter what the mood or content of any one moment may be - (low-key) suspenseful, heartfelt, humorous sad - all these 90 minutes feel identical. There is no rise, no fall; no crescendo, no climax, no denouement. It's competently made in every single way, except for that it fails to meaningfully resonate on any level.

This is particularly unfortunate because I recognize strong capability in the cast, not least of all star Colm Meaney, but their performances are almost uniformly reduced to a single shade of grey for the entire runtime. That hardly seems fair to them, or to we viewers. None of this is to say that this film is bad; on the contrary, I like it more so than not - but only just. It's just that given a choice between 10 pictures with the same narrative, there's no specific reason why you should choose this one, save for that you're an especial fan of someone involved in the production.

'A lobster tale' is a decent way to pass a lazy afternoon, if you happen to come across it. Just don't feel like you need to go out of your way for it.

Wow, was I surprised to read the previous review by "bridgecheri" when I came to IMDb to check out the cast. We saw the film on the same day that review was posted and had a completely different reaction as did the people we were sitting with and those we discussed the film with after the show. My wife and I loved the film and thought it not only entertaining but very well done. I worked as an on set Hair Stylist in Los Angeles for years before moving to Washington and thought "A Lobster Tale" was well directed, had a wonderful story, exceptionally strong performances and was beautifully shot. After reading the two reviews posted on the film, we must say we are in agreement with "azmoviebuff" and would recommend this film.

Since seeing this for the first time several years ago, I've recommended it to a number of friends and associates with gratitude being returned each and every time. I think most family-oriented watchers will come away with a smile and a desire to see it again in due time.

This is one of those films which slips through the cracks, so to speak. There's not much to this film in the way of action, or suspense or even thrills. There is just a really, really good story, much in the way of movies like "Where the Red Fern Grows" and "It's a Wonderful Life." Acting, as far as the main characters go is pretty good. A number of secondary cast members seem a bit stiff perhaps. Given what appears to have been a less-than-substantial budget, A Lobster Tale delivers more than many big-budget productions I can think of.

The story concept of "A Lobster Tale" is very interesting. A poor Lobster Fisherman named Cody (Colm Meaney) finds some magic, green gooey substance caught in his lobster net. This "goo" proves to have healing powers. Because he has a limited amount of the magic substance, he and his family must make decisions about who can use it, when, where, and why… Therein, begins the family's problems. Suddenly they are most popular people in town, because everybody wants to get a piece of the magic substance. This scenario provides the characters with difficult decisions and ridiculously amusing situations.

I though the acting was great. Cody's son (played by Jack Knight) nailed an emotional scene, and other actors rounded out a strong cast –Colm Meaney, Alberta Watson (recognized her from "24"), and Graham Greene, who was very funny as a slacker cop.

My biggest criticism is that the movie was a little long. The middle section where the townspeople are continually confronting/begging him got very redundant. The pacing definitely could have been sped up through the middle section of the movie.

Otherwise, it was a really nice story with some good messages, some emotional moments, and some ironic/understated humor throughout.