Opal Dream

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Opal Dream

PG

2006

1h 25m

Kids & Family

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Australians Rex Williamson and his family struggle to make ends meet in an opal-mining community in the Outback. Daughter Kellyanne passes the time with her two imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan. When the rest of the family grow tired of her obsession with her nonexistent buddies, Rex tells his daughter that Pobby and Dingan are lost in the mine. Bad times lie ahead for the family when Kellyanne reacts badly to the news.

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Critics Consensus

Earnest performances and Peter Cattaneo's sympathetic direction gives heart to the simple, timeworn script.

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Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

Feb 16, 2007

2.5/4

Opal Dream might be one of those movies that has to catch a viewer in the right mood, or be greeted with scorn.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Feb 2, 2007

2/4

The film squeezes out its feel-good messages like toothpaste from a tube.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Feb 1, 2007

Although Opal Dream marks a pleasing departure from the conventions of the British comedy -- it's based on a children's book and set in the Australian outback -- it's disappointingly small in scope.

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Nov 7, 2019

Saccharine sweet to the core, the heartfelt story and faith in the power of imagination and love will sparkle like an opal glistening in the Outback sun long after the curtain falls.

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Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

Jul 25, 2012

3/5

Unusual Australian drama has a few moments of violence.

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David Cornelius

DVDTalk.com

Apr 20, 2007

2.5/5

What opens as a delightful kid-friendly drama closes as a stumbly, manipulative yawner.

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Jul 19, 2018

I read the script for this years ago and loved it. I have no idea why they felt the need to give it that crap name. I wanted this to be as heart wrenching as the script was. It's not often movies live up to the script or novel and sadly this one doesn't either. Not bad. But not as good as it should have been.

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Aug 2, 2017

I thought it was good but a bit confusing . It is a bit sad if it was less confusing it would be good. Lily age 10

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Jun 28, 2016

A hauntingly beautiful Australian film about the power of belief, and of the love between siblings. Rex Williamson (Vince Colosimo) is an opal miner prospecting in the outback town of Cooper Pedy. When his daughter Kellyanne's (Sapphire Boyce) imaginary friends go missing after a visit to the family's mine claim, he searches for them, and gets accused of attempted theft from a neighbouring claim in the process. Faced with his father being charged with attempting to steal from someone else's claim, and the family being shunned by the community as a result, as well as his young sister becoming ill through grief for her imaginary friends, Rex's son Ashmol (Christian Byers) sets out to put things right. This review really doesn't do justice to this heart warming and unusual tale. This is an Australian co-production with the BBC, so watch out for some familiar faces in atypical roles.

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Apr 4, 2016

Rating: 38% Opal Dream boasts some thought, but the overly cliched script and unlikable characters just ruins the whole experience from beginning to end.

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Jan 25, 2015

A heart-felt movie, That will never forgot it. Make sure you see the uncut version the cut one is flat.

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Oct 13, 2012

HATED IT. Saw it a few years back and thought it was just horrible and stupid. One of the worst I've ever seen

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Peter Cattaneo

Director

Vince Colosimo

Rex Williamson

Jacqueline McKenzie

Annie Williamson

Christian Byers

Ashmol Williamson

Sapphire Blossom

Kellyanne Williamson

Peter Callan

Dan Dunkley

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Synopsis

Australians Rex Williamson and his family struggle to make ends meet in an opal-mining community in the Outback. Daughter Kellyanne passes the time with her two imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan. When the rest of the family grow tired of her obsession with her nonexistent buddies, Rex tells his daughter that Pobby and Dingan are lost in the mine. Bad times lie ahead for the family when Kellyanne reacts badly to the news.

Director: Peter Cattaneo
Producer: Lizie Gower, Nick Morris, Emile Sherman
Screenwriter: Peter Cattaneo, Ben Rice, Phil Traill
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: BBC, UK Film Council, South Australian Film Corporation
Rating: PG (Some Violence|Mild Thematic Elements|Language)
Genre: Kids & Family, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.8K
Runtime: 1h 25m

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