We know from the beginning that this is a story of two damaged and lost souls. How? Because our narrator, Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina), a wise but aging – and, one must observe, somewhat imperious – Giant Pacific octopus, tells us so.
One of them is recently widowed Tova Sullivan (Sally Field). She is agonizing over a decision to leave her job as the night janitor at the Pacific Northwest aquarium where Marcellus lives, sell her splendid water-front house, and move to an old-folks abode.
The other is Cameron Cassmore, a young man whose van breaks down as he arrives in town. He has plans, of a sort, which involve finding a guy who owes him money so he can fund an album with his band, Moth Sausage. But his band mates aren’t feeling it, and that guy turns out to actually be the father who ditched him and his mother 18 years ago.
What brings them together? Aging Marcellus yearns to escape so he can spend his last days back home in the ocean depths. And he almost succeeds one night, but Tova intercepts him. As she’s discussing the situation with Marcellus, she slips, and her twisted ankle forces her to take a break for a few days. To pay for repairs on his van, Cameron signs on as a temporary substitute for Tova.
Oil and water. Tova is seriously displeased with Cameron’s cleaning, and he’s not in a mood to put up with her bossiness. But as things go in these types of movies, they grow on each other. When seeing the two together, Marcellus decides to postpone his escape a bit. He has perceived that they both have holes in their heart that need mending. And he knows what they need, if only he can find a way to locate it before time – and a sharp-toothed adversary – catches up with him.
See It
This could have been a five-star movie without the cosmic coincidence that goes plunk into the plot at the end. The evolving relationship between set-in-her-ways Tova and self-loathing Cameron is warm and funny and thoroughly enjoyable, and it would have been enough on which to float the plot. But yeah, I guess when your narrator is a full-of-himself octopus, you must have something, well, remarkable, for him to work on.
Sally Field. Such a perfect performance as a woman whose personal tragedies have driven her away from her friends and from life itself. Yet, she’s full of spunk and is at the center of the movie’s most delightful scenes. One example: pay attention to her expressions when she answers Cameron’s phone as they are driving on an adventure.
Lewis Pullman has the tougher assignment, transforming from the bellicose man-child, who doesn’t even like himself, to the patched-up adult who learns to respect others and forgive himself. Well done.
Nice also to see Colm Meaney as Ethan Mack, the gentle and supportive giant who owns the town’s small grocery. He gives Cameron the benefit of the doubt and Tova the unwavering support she needs, but doesn’t know it. Also nicely done.
And then there’s Marcellus, brought to curmudgeonly life through the voice of Alfred Molina. You know, Marcellus’s attitude toward humans doesn’t always make him the most likeable persona of the cast. But in the end we’re rooting for him to finish his mission without losing any more tentacles, and find the home he yearns for.
The title? It sounds like a documentary about the phenomenal intelligence of octopi, doesn’t it? But, in fact, it is in the end the octopus who must admit: “Humans, for the most part, are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”