Film reviews: Sunny Dancer will make audiences laugh, cry, and possibly dance in their seats

The film is a brilliant showcase of Bella Ramsey's range

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Sunny Dancer

★★★★☆

Sunny Dancer stars Bella Ramsey, who first appeared in Game of Thrones as the warrior-child Lyanna Mormont before breaking out in The Last of Us. Ramsey plays Ivy, a 17-year-old in cancer remission. Instead of being happy to be on the mend, Ivy is angry about her disrupted life and tired of being labelled the “chemo kid” at school. She wants to move on, but everyone keeps reminding her of her illness.

Ivy’s parents, Karen and Bob (Jessica Gunning and James Norton) keep things light around their daughter, but it does little to improve Ivy’s mood. When they sign her up for a summer camp for teens who have had cancer, Ivy is furious. Undeterred, her parents pack her off with a firm reminder to have fun and make friends.

The camp is led by Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris), who appears to be far too enthusiastic. Ivy is distinctly unimpressed.

She has little interest in group activities, motivational speeches, or being surrounded by people who seem to think that a few games and upbeat slogans will solve everything. She is also forced to bunk with Ella (Ruby Stokes), who is a little too upbeat for Ivy’s liking. But, a friendship emerges.

It is not Ella’s first time at the camp, and she introduces Ivy to the regulars: Jake (Daniel Quinn-Toye), Ralph (Earl Cave), Archie (Conrad Khan), and Maisie (Jasmine Elcock). Ivy quickly learns that the number one topic of conversation is not cancer. Instead, they talk about music, boys, having fun, and plotting how to escape from camp.

After a particularly angry outburst, Ivy is forced into mandatory counselling, but she proves a hard nut to crack. The sessions are frustrating for both Ivy and her counsellor, as she has little interest in opening up.

Outside the sessions, however, Ivy gradually begins to let her guard down with the group. She discovers that, for all her efforts to keep everyone at arm’s length, she actually enjoys their company. And as the days pass, she and Jake begin to fall for each other.

As Ivy begins to settle in, she finds herself confronting the one thing she has been trying hardest to avoid: The possibility that moving on from cancer does not necessarily mean pretending it never happened.

The writer-director George Jaques, who wrote the story inspired by personal experience, has said that he wanted this film to be about teenagers and not the illness that has so dreadfully interrupted their lives.

He has succeeded, and while cancer is always in the background, this is more a coming-of-age film and one that shows that for many young people who get ill, the sickness does not define them.

With cracking music and a terrific ensemble, Sunny Dancer will make audiences laugh, cry, and possibly dance in their seats.

It is a brilliant showcase for Ramsey, who has shown us serious acting from a young age, and while they still have some heavy lifting to do in this, they prove to be a young actor who can be light-hearted, joyful as well as devastating.

The End of Oak Street

★★★★☆

Set in the 1980s, The End of Oak Street introduces Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor), their teenage daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella), younger son Brian (Christian Convery), and dog Starbuck.

At first glance, they seem like a typical all-American family, but cracks are beginning to show beneath the surface. Denise and Greg are keeping secrets from each other, and neither is happy in the marriage anymore.

Priorities change when strange things begin to happen on their street. A tropical plant grows overnight in an elderly neighbour’s garden. Another neighbour accuses the kids of playing a prank when something unsightly appears in his garden.

Anne Hathaway as Denise Platt in The End of Oak Street. Picture: Warner Bros.

When the power is knocked out, Denise is worried about the food spoiling in the fridge. The kids are grumbling that they can’t watch MTV. It is all pretty normal stuff — until dinosaurs appear on the street. Triceratops, Allosaurus, and feathered theropods are just some of the sharp-toothed, killer prehistoric beasties that have taken over Oak Street.

When they must leave the house, they begin a game of cat and mouse as they dodge dinos at every turn. As they begin to identify a potential way to escape, their odds of survival drop dramatically.

Genuinely funny and thrilling, The End of Oak Street nods to Spielberg and other creature-feature directors, ensuring that it stands among the best blockbusters of the year. The performances are top-notch, especially Hathaway, who plays a mother as fierce as any dinosaur when it comes to protecting her kids. Great stuff.

Ewan McGregor as Greg Platt in The End of Oak Street.

The Pout-Pout Fish

★★★☆☆

The Pout-Pout Fish is a new animated movie for kids, based on Deborah Diesen’s popular book.

Mr Fish, voiced by Nick Offerman, is haunted by difficult experiences from his childhood and has grown into a solitary character. He was born with a strikingly sad pout. While he could try to smile more, he chooses not to. In fact, he seems almost comfortable with his sadness.

His sad expression draws comments and suggestions that he should smile, but he chooses not to fake happiness to please others.

Mr Fish voiced by Nick Offerman, and Pip, voiced by Nina Oyama

He lives in a broken-down boat that he has turned into his own private hideaway, but when a young sea dragon, Pip (Nina Oyama), shows up at his door looking for a favour, Mr Fish wants her to go away. But when disaster strikes and his boat sinks, it inadvertently knocks down Pip’s home in the process.

Pip is too young to rebuild her home, and Mr Fish can’t help. With no other choice, he joins Pip in search of Shimmer (Jordin Sparks), a magical fish who grants wishes. Their journey is tough, but together — balancing Mr Fish’s grumpiness and Pip’s optimism — they might just succeed.

They meet a young cuttlefish searching for Shimmer to save his home, while his mother (Miranda Otto) has darker plans for their territory.

The film follows the familiar animated adventure formula and rarely deviates from expectations. The animation is vibrant, and the voicework — particularly Offerman’s — is solid. Overall, the film is perfect for younger family members, though it loses momentum when it follows the cuttlefish side plot — not that little ones will mind.

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