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Bookworm

Bookworm

Adventure · Family · Comedy · 2024

Eleven-year-old Mildred’s life is turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and estranged, American magician father, Strawn Wise, comes to look after her. Hoping to entertain the bookish tween, Strawn takes Mildred camping in the notoriously rugged New Zealand wilderness, and the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding – a quest to find the mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.

Movie details

Bookworm

“Adventure called her name... Unfortunately dad answered.”

2024 Adventure · Family · Comedy 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

Eleven-year-old Mildred’s life is turned upside down when her mother lands in hospital and estranged, American magician father, Strawn Wise, comes to look after her. Hoping to entertain the bookish tween, Strawn takes Mildred camping in the notoriously rugged New Zealand wilderness, and the pair embark on the ultimate test of family bonding – a quest to find the mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bookworm?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Ant Timpson

Written by

Toby Harvard · Ant Timpson

Nell Fisher

Nell Fisher

Mildred

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood

Strawn Wise

Michael Smiley

Michael Smiley

Arnold

Vanessa Stacey

Vanessa Stacey

Angelina

Morgana O'Reilly

Morgana O'Reilly

Zo

Millen Baird

Millen Baird

Doctor

Nikki Si'ulepa

Nikki Si'ulepa

Dotty

Court is in session

Put Bookworm on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.