Where there’s a ‘Nim’ there’s a way

What kid wouldn’t want her own island? Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin gets that wish in “Nim’s Island,” a new family-friendly film due on DVD August 5. And parents are granted their own wish – a PG-rated movie with only one flatulence joke and little else to make you want to earmuff your children.

Breslin plays Nim, a bright girl who lives on a remote island with her scientist father, Jack (Gerard Butler, keeping his “300“ abs to himself, ladies). Their life is darn near idyllic. Jack “island” schools her in between research experiments, and when Nim gets bored she pals around with her pet lizard and sea lion. But when her father leaves for a two-day trip at sea and doesn’t come home, Nim may be alone – permanently.

Enter Alex Rover (Jodie Foster), an agoraphobic author who tries to come to Nim’s rescue. Alex first came into contact with Nim because she needed help from Jack on fleshing out the details of her latest book. Alex ends up e-mailing Nim, which is how she learns about Jack’s disappearance.

The balance between magical whimsy and hardcore realism is a bit dodgy throughout “Nim’s Island,” but the trio of fine performers and the island’s natural beauty more than makes up for such shortcomings. And Foster is clearly having a blast in a role that doesn’t demand she enter or exit a panic room. The Oscar winner’s exuberance is contagious.

Breslin, who works so often these days she must be breaking some sort of child labor law, is the perfect choice to play the unsinkable “Nim.”

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