Customer Reviews

Chestnut

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After coming across this DVD by complete accident at my local library, I must admit that for me, a prominent draw to the film was the fact that "Starring Abigail Breslin, Star of Little Miss Sunshine" was written across the front of the box. Surely, this little advertisement is understandable, given young Breslin's recent Oscar nomination and steadily rising status as a consistent child actress.

With two adorable little girls and a charming puppy adorning the cover of the DVD, it already indicates that genre that many of us love, especially in today's world--87 minutes of purely bright, fluffy entertainment that can be enjoyed by children, teenagers, college kids, adults, and basically just about anyone who likes this kind of thing. If "Chestnut" is your type of movie, you know exactly who you are, and after all, nothing hits home quite like a story with cute kids and lovable family pets.

Ideal for reeling in even the youngest of children, the plot of is simple: orphaned sisters Sal and Rae (approximately 6 and 8 years old, respectively) come across an abandoned Great Dane puppy, take deliberate measures to hide it from the orphanage staff, and encounter an even messier predicament when they are adopted by a young married couple from Manhattan. Finding a permanent home with one another is a dream come true for these tight-knit siblings, but once they arrive at their dog-free apartment building, they must rely on all their resources to keep Chestnut away from their adoptive parents (one of whom is severely allergic to dogs), their fellow residents, and a very crabby apartment director.

Winner of the Heartland Crystal Heart Award--an honor that praises the film's positive message and appropriate quality for all ages--"Chestnut" is, plain and simple, a lot of fun and easy to love as you begin watching it. The story has the perfect mix of humor and poignancy, making you laugh out loud at some points (watch for a great improvisational scene where Sal and Rae, dripping in fancy jewelry and irresistable side ponytails, jam to the catchy song "That's What Girls Do") yet also depicting some raw, authentic human bonds that are a pleasant asset to the story. Some other reviewers here have commented about questionable scenes with the robbers who target the girls' apartment building, along with some saddening scenes near the end of the film. While an certain accident involving Chestnut might be VERY mildly frightening to some more sensitive children, it's not anything inappropriately graphic, and it's pretty unlikely that kids will lose sleep over it when they watch it. The overall tone is heartwarming and innocent, so it is reasonable for parents to perceive the movie as such.

Although I've already mentioned her in this review, I have to emphasize again that Abigail Breslin is quite an impressive little actress and does a nice job playing Rae. Sweet, adorable, and impeccably gifted at emoting in front of the camera, she is a complete joy to watch and, while immensely talented and natural, is not so overexploited as other starlets her age who shall remain nameless. Makenzie Vega--who recently appeared as Meg Ryan's daughter in 2007's "In the Land of Women" and is the younger sister of actress Alexa Vega--is equally solid and likable as young Sal, serving as a loving and protective big sis to Rae as she does her best to keep everything in order. Breslin and Vega work very well together, creating a convincing formula as onscreen siblings and endearingly mischievous little girls. If there's only one thing I can say to prove that these kids have promising acting careers ahead, it's the fact that they were both required to cry for practically half of the movie's duration, and they were so incredibly competent at getting in character, the camera was able to zoom right in their faces and pronounce those emotions in a truly believable way. I don't know how they got those kids to sob so effortlessly in scene after scene, but it's some pretty good stuff, and it's sure to make your heart break.

Also appealing in this film is the wholly positive example that is set by the adults in the plot. We've all seen those children's movies about the cold orphanages and the cruel people who run them, but that is absolutely not the case at the institution where Sal and Rae live at the beginning of the story. Organized by a group of Catholic nuns (another character stereotype that many filmmakers have a field day with), this orphanage is warm and inviting, the children are treated well, and for once, you can sit back and enjoy a movie that values portraying these things in a nicer light. Of course, what's even more beautiful is what we discover with Sal and Rae's adoptive parents. With the real-world problems that exist with some marriages and orphaned children, isn't it refreshing to watch a genuinely loving husband and wife who are willing to not only give a couple orphans a stable home, but are also amenable to taking in older kids? Hopefully, we will continue to see more people like this in real life--people who eagerly create their own family dynamics, practice attentive and hands-on parenting, and give children a safe, trusting environment to grow up in.

With that being said, this isn't a DVD title that too many people know about, since it did not appear in theaters or receive wider advertisement, but if you happen to see it in a store or as a video rental, I'd recommend that you give it a shot. Unfortunately, there aren't many movies with the same pure quality as this. I guess "cute" and "charming" are the best words I can come up with right now, but hey, those simple words tend to be the mark of something that's actually worth your time, so if you are lucky enough to catch it, get the family together and enjoy a heartfelt story with plenty of youthful spirit and energy to go around! :)

Chestnut is a good dog movie for the whole family. So many dog movies are cute, but difficult to tolerate because the humor is too childish. Chestnut is pretty well done. It's not a "date movie" but it's pretty good for a family film.

My mother inlaw brought this movie over one day and watched it with the girls, who were 7 and 9 at the time. They really liked it. I saw it online and picked it up for them for Christmas. It is a really cute movie they enjoy every time they watch it

This is one of those little gems you don't hear anything about, and wonder why. It is an EXCELLENt movie; full of laughs and tears, appropriate for all ages! My 4 1/2 grandson fell in love with Chestnut and so did I. It has a surprise ending and will leave you wishing there was a Chestnut II. GREAT MOVIE!

This movie is darling!!! Warning for moms: it makes me cry every time! The sisters in the movie are adopted and they bring along a puppy that they have found. But they try to hide it...hilarious! The puppy grows up into a Great Dane! I have 3 girls and they all love it. My girls love dogs so they will watch this one over and over! A very sweet movie!

my children love this movie! they are 4, 6 and 8.. they laugh out loud.. very sweet and wholesome show!

My aunt let us borrow this movie, and I thought it was very good & very funny! Two sisters named Sal and Rae live at an orphanage and find a Great Dane puppy and sneak him back to the orphanage. When they are adopted, they sneak him into their new home. It becomes more difficult ehen he gets older. There was a little part I cried at, but don't worry, it doesn't have a 'Marley & Me' ending. If you love cute dog movies, you'll love CHESTNUT!!!

My girls rented this at the video store over and over so we finally had to buy it! It is a really cute movie and perfect for my 4 and 6 year old because of the story of sisterly love.

This is a very heart-warming story that my neices and I really enjoyed. I had never heard of this movie until Dec 18th when my neices saw it previewed on TV. It hasn't received much publicity which surprises me. The story line was predictable to me but still very enjoyable. The two sisters are orphaned, spend time in an orphanage, then adopted. But this part of the story is shown in a way that is not upsetting to my neices (ages 4 and 6.) They watched it over and over. It held their attention - it did not have any boring parts. Really fast-paced and cute. I would reccommend this for all young girls!

This is a good clean movie that you wont be embarrassed to share with the family come movie night. There are no surprise situations that will catch you off guard and leaping for the remote to fast forward through. This is actually one movie that you wont find any arguing of any kind, and only a small amount of slapstick humor and violence, if you can even call it that. Surprisingly it has a lot of actors/actresses that we have seen before, the big name being Abigail Breslin who is so young you almost don't even recognize her!

The movie is about two orphan sisters who live together at the Catholic orphanage. The younger sister, Rae, constantly asks her older sister, Sal, questions about everything and wants to sleep with her every night because she is afraid of the dark. All throughout the movie Sal shows a huge amount of patience with Rae and replies with love and kindness at all times. Never once does Sal raise her voice or make Rae feel like she is being a pest or bothersome or that her questions are dumb. Sal is always caring for Rae. This also goes for many other characters in the movie: the nuns, the other children at the orphanage, the adoptive parents, they all only show kindness and patience. Even when at times (the girls hiding a dog in the house, Sal running away, ruining the fathers architecture work, unraveling the mother's knitting, etc.) most would not have patience at all, they never raise their voice or get angry. So in that aspect it is far from reality, as is a lot of other things written into this movie. But I compare it to the type of far out writing of "Home Alone". There are situations you would hope a child would never be placed (running in front of a rig to save a dog, running away from home to central park in the middle of the night, etc.) The bumbling burglars breaking into apartments, crashing a wedding, and planning their next robbery is just as outlandish. There are silly references to "poop", which they say/use over and over again, gets old very fast. The adoptive parents also hire a nanny who does not speak English, bringing some stereotypical casting into play. The movie does hint a few times on the death of the girls mother and how they never had a dad before. Rae also will only wear golashes because that is the only thing Rae remembers from a picture showing that her mother wore golashes.

This is a nice little movie that families can enjoy together. The movie moves fast and gets quickly to the plot. There is no yelling or arguing and that is a refreshing change from movies for children these days.

As far as the reference others have made about the dog getting stabbed in the end, it is really not that bad. I almost did not let my child watch this movie because of it and that would have been a shame. I can honestly tell you it was not bad at all. The scene shows the dog staring at the burglar. The burglar grabs a letter opener. The dog jumps on the burglar. The dog is shown laying on the floor with a hint of blood running down his armpit. The way I saw it, the dog jumped on the burglar and happened to land on the letter opener. He did not get stabbed, or at least there is nothing to lead you to believe that. They never show the burglar stabbing the dog or even making an attempt to stab the dog. I think this whole scene has been blown out of proportion by a few reviewers.

The movie was also not that big of a tear jerker. It was really light hearted with a lot of heart at the same time. Sure there were some sentimental scenes that may tug at your heart, but a box of Kleenex is sort of going overboard. In the end, it is just a good wholesome movie for those families that are trying to keep the unnecessary violence, arguing and language away from their young impressionable children. For that I commend them, keep up the good work!