There is much to admire about Olivia Newman’s “Where the Crawdads Sing” follow-up “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” another film adaptation of a beloved (and bestselling) novel. There’s Sally Field, in an a role that has already earned her awards accolades, and a massive octopus voiced by Alfred Molina. There’s a crowd of chatty best pals that include Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, and Beth Grant. There are actual locations (a sea that is a sea! what an idea!). There’s Lewis Pullman, continuing to work his own dad’s charming everyman appeal.
And there’s something increasingly rare (yes, even more rare than Alfred Molina voicing a huge sea creature): a book-to-film adaptation that actually adapts the material, and does not just crib blindly from the original. Fans of Van Pelt’s novel might balk at what Newman and co-writer John Whittington have snipped from her story (huge apologies to Pullman’s character’s early backstory and his beloved aunt, similar regrets to Field’s character’s brother), but the trims that run throughout the film are smart and useful. They serve the story, yes, but also its new shape as a film.
And, as a film, this tearjerking story about giant sea creatures, broken people, and huge secrets works well enough. Much like Van Pelt’s novel, it’s a cozy little drama with twists and turns that feel both inevitable and delightful. It’s all bolstered by Field and Pullman’s performances, which crackle with chemistry and good choices, nothing big or showy here. If you’re looking for a pick for the entire family, this is a solid one, and that’s no small feat in the crammed streaming world, where it can too often feel as if there’s plenty of content but nothing that feels actually made for people.
Or octopuses! At the center of the story is Molina’s tentacled avatar, Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who has lived most of his life at the cozy and clean Sowell Bay Aquarium, located near Puget Sound. Many of the details of Marcellus’ life — like how he came to be “rescued” — will be revealed later, but his primary characteristic is on full display from the start. Marcellus is really, really smart, which Molina imparts via a wry and world-weary voiceover. In Van Pelt’s book, Marcellus gets his own chapters to share his story and observations, and transferring these bits into a consistent voiceover narration is yet another example of this smart scripting.
Marcellus is, in fact, smart enough that he’s figured out how to get out of his tank, explore (read: eat some of his fellow aquarium residents), and get back in without anyone noticing. But Marcellus is growing older, so his assignations are getting slower, and “The Consequences” for his ramblings are getting worse. Thankfully, he has at least one other creature he can trust: Field’s Tova, the aquarium’s dedicated overnight cleaner, who shares a dream of the sea that even Marcellus can deduce.
Or, as he tell us: they they “both dream of the bottom of the sea and what we lost there.” For Marcellus, it was his freedom. For Tova, it was her beloved only son, Erik.
That Marcellus knows that, that Tova has told him about it, is the crux of the story. If you can not only buy that, but delight in it, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” is very much for you. (It was very much for me.)
Tova’s existence is about to be upended by the arrival of another flighty young man. Cameron Cassmore (Pullman) lands in Sowell Bay, convinced his unknown father not only lives there, but is wildly rich and perhaps interested in meeting the kid he never knew he had. Finding him, however, is proving tricky, and the perpetually down-on-his-luck Cameron sure needs a job in the interim. Thank God that most people in Sowell Bay, like local grocery story owner Ethan (Colm Meaney) are so happy to welcome outsiders. Thank God also that Tova just sustained a minor injury (she slipped while helping Marcellus, but no one can know that) and her gig at the aquarium needs a temp fill-in. Thank God he’s about to meet Marcellus.
Oh, and he’s still about to meet Tova.
Despite this rambling semi-introduction, Newman’s film makes quick work of all of this, recognizing that getting to the Tova-and-Cameron show (with, of course, many guest appearances by Marcellus) is the entire point of the picture. As Cameron adjusts to life in Sowell Bay (more bonding with Ethan, who is a little hung up on Tova, plus his own potential romance with Avery, played by a peppy Sofia Black-D’Elia), Tova starts to inch her way out of it.
The pains and pleasures of family life are top of mind for her. Widowed, heartbroken, and left rattling around the house her own father built (the film has a real sense of place, both out in the town and inside the aquarium and Tova’s home), Tova is preparing to decamp for a luxe retirement home across the bay. Everyone — including smitten Ethan and her rowdy pack of pals — think this is a bad idea. What, however, will become most important is what Cameron thinks, and what part he comes to play in Tova’s life.
The film does occasionally lean on flashbacks of Tova and her long-gone son Erik to fill in some blanks — and lay out some real winking table-setting — but “Remarkably Bright Creatures” fares better when Tova or Cameron are telling their woes to Marcellus or even each other. Zippy, smart editing moves us through the story, drawing connections where necessary, bolstered by that ol’ octopus voiceover, and gently guiding us to some major plot points.
Never fear, book lovers, the film sticks firmly to its late act upheavals and revelations, and even manages to make them feel richer and more earned here. Maybe it’s something about seeing Sally Field bond with an octopus, or watching a true inter-generational friendship blossom on screen, or maybe it’s just something more obvious: taking the best parts of a sweet story, and paring it down to its best bits. Or, well, best arms? Tentacles? Whatever can reach out and touch you, just as this film will.
Grade: B
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” will start streaming on Netflix on Friday, May 8.
Want to stay up to date on IndieWire’s film reviews and critical thoughts? Subscribe here to our newsletter In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.
