A local reviewer gave Charlotte’s Web three stars and said that the movie, while good, “isn’t as good as E.B. White’s book, but then again, how could it be?” I read the book to my kids when they were young; we were all entranced by it, and the reviewer’s statement may be true as far as it goes. Can a movie ever be as good as the book it’s made from? Or is this an apples-to-oranges comparison? At any rate, Charlotte’s Web is well done, touching, and certainly consistent with Christian values.
In case you’re not familiar with the story, here’s a thumbnail sketch: A young girl named Fern lives on a farm and is present when their mother pig gives birth to a slew of piglets. Fern’s father wants to “do away with” the runt of the litter, saying he simply won’t be able to survive. Fern is horrified and insists that the piglet, whom she names Wilbur, be given a chance to live. After much coaxing, Fern convinces her father; she nurses Wilbur to health by feeding him herself. Before long Wilbur is thriving, but then a new eventuality rears its ugly head: Wilbur is destined for the Christmas dinner table. What to do? Fern is at a loss.
Enter Charlotte … full name Charlotte A. Cavatica, a gray spider who lives in the barn and befriends Wilbur. Charlotte has ideas – good ones. After carefully thinking through the situation, she performs her first masterstroke: the spinning of a web that says SOME PIG. People soon come from far and wide to see this minor miracle. The trouble is, Fern’s father takes a lot of convincing, and Charlotte has to perform several more “everyday miracles” to keep Wilbur alive past Christmas.
Charlotte’s Web, which by the way is rated G (a rarity these days), is one of the sweetest movies in a long time. It’s a tale of loving your neighbor, being there for your friends, and making sacrifices, and the chances are good that it will jerk some tears out of you. The computer-generated special effects are fine, and it’s really fun to try to match the voices of several prominent actors — Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Reba McEntire, Steve Buscemi — to the animal characters they portray. I won’t tell you who plays Charlotte; that’ll be up to you to figure out. I have only one quibble, and that’s the character of Fern, played by Dakota Fanning. For my money, she comes off as too much in control, not respectful enough of her parents. That’s a minor flaw, though. Go and see this movie, and take your whole family.
My Rating: 3 ¼ stars
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