The Tiger Rising: Film Review and Giveaway

The Tiger Rising is a family film of adventure meant to bring courage and inspire hope. I’ll share with you the synopsis first, then I’ll share my thoughts of The Tiger Rising. So, grab you some snacks and read on!

The Tiger Rising Film Synopsis:

Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid star in this beloved tale based on the New York Times best-selling book by Kate DiCamillo. When 12-year-old Rob Horton (Christian Convery) discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home, his imagination runs wild and life begins to change in the most unexpected ways. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May (Queen Latifah) and the stubborn new girl in school (Madalen Mills), he navigates through childhood memories, heartache, and wondrous adventures in this heartwarming adaptation.

Website ~ Trailer

Watching…

Watching the film I couldn’t help but think about the inner sense that animals have with people and how they always seem to know good people from bad. That would be the first thought I had worthy of writing notes about while I watched the film.

I love how the film tried to portray the way pain comes out in children as behaviors and such. You knew super early in the film that something was off, though it was revealed in a very obvious way very quickly. It reminded me how our trauma shapes and molds us. As I go through my own journey of healing, I often wonder how much of my personality is there because of necessary coping mechanisms.

My Favorite Quotes from The Tiger Rising:

“Anger snapping out of you like lightning.”

“Ain’t nobody gonna rescue you, you gotta rescue yourself.”

Each of these two quotes are from Willie May, played by Queen Latifah. She played the wise adult in the film, referred to as the ‘Prophetess’ by the angsty little girl who also starred in the film. She was adorable, I must point out.

On the Nose…

I will start this portion by saying that I did not read the synopsis before watching the film. I did watch the preview on YouTube before I agreed to do this review, but that was it. So, before you get all judgy about the repetition below, I wrote this without the knowledge provided above. As a matter of fact, I wrote the review on a clipboard and am about to type what I wrote. SO, with that in mind, here goes.

If I were going to point out any errors in the movie, it would be that there is no water in the pen for the tiger. Tigers need water, right? I did love the view of the woods at the beginning, though it seems like they could have made it more colorful and less daunting, since it was supposed to be a source of inspiration for the main character.

The Tiger Rising had SO much potential and it makes me wonder if it was adapted from a book. [Inserting: that’s the repetition that I was talking about!] The way the film flows changed suddenly and it seemed like they cut a ton of the story out. What could have been an amazing and wonderful film was instead a poorly blotched together attempt.

Queen Latifah played her role well and the tiger was perfect. Dennis Quaid seemed like he was drunk all of the time, not as if he were acting drunk, but instead as if he were acting and he was drunk doing it. Initially I didn’t recognize who he was, so I told my husband my thought about Queen Latifah and the tiger being the entire budget. He was the one who told me it was Dennis Quaid, adding that this was the worst he’d ever seen Quaid act.

It is my assumption that the bulk of the film budget went to the three mentioned above and they just didn’t put any money in writing or in directing. The children did fine, though they were directed (I assume) to over act quite often. Although, at times, the over acting amused me.

Overall, I will definitely not watch the film again. It was a huge disappointment. However, I am extremely interested in reading the book. You can get the book here.

Of course, this is a family film and aimed at younger children. So, if you are looking for a family film that is safe and will probably entertain your children, this is it. I recommend reading over the Faith and Famiy Guide so that you can discuss it without watching with them!

Faith & Family Discussion Guide

For the Giveaway

This giveaway is open world wide. You can enter once or as many times as you’d like!

One lucky winner will receive a digital copy of The Tiger Rising

Good Luck!

Disclosure: There is a disclosure listed on my side bar. Clearly these are my own opinions, no one would pay for a bad review. haha.