TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Python Hyena Madeline (1998): Dir: Daisy Von Scherler Mayer / Cast: Hatty Jones, Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne, Ben Daniels, Kristian De La Osa: Not nearly as complex or detailed as Harriet the Spy. Madeline is an orphan in a boarding school in France. Francis McDormand plays the headmistress who loves the girls but struggles to maintain discipline. The routine story regards the school owner's plan to sell the school. Along the way Madeline is saved from drowning by a dog, she sabotages potential buyers, and is kidnapped by circus jugglers. Directing by Daisy Von Scherler Mayer is fine with beautiful locations but the screenplay is shallow. As Madeline Hatty Jones is irresistibly charming but the chaos she is thrown into as the conclusion draws is ridiculous. McDormand in great form in what could be a standard issue role but elevates with care for the girls and the school. This coming off her Academy Award win and proving to be just as solid in this simplistic material. Supporting roles are typical family film cardboard cut-outs the function for convenience only. Nigel Hawthorne plays stereotypical strict owner who will predictably have a change of heart regarding the school's fate. Well made film that will mainly appeal to young girls but little material is objectionable for parents. Theme regards one's sense of well being, belonging and development. Score: 5 / 10

Jackson Booth-Millard I remember seeing this when I used to go to a children's club, we always had a film time, and I guess I just I wanted to watch it again to remember how lame and kiddie it was. Basically Miss Clavel (Fargo's Frances McDormand) is the head-mistress nun who looks after twelve children at the orphanage in France, and the youngest, smallest and at many times most troublesome is red-headed, parent-less and fantastic problem solver Madeline (introducing Hatty Jones). Every moment of this film sees Madeline getting into quite a few situations, and she proves that she has hardly any fear, and she can stand up for herself in front of the grown-ups, especially Lord Covington, aka Lord Cuckoohead (The Madness of King George's Nigel Hawthorne), who is trying to sell the school/orphanage. Also starring Ben Daniels as Leopold the Tutor and Stéphane Audran as Lady Covington. Think Annie (which I absolutely detest) meets Home Alone (a very good family comedy), and that is pretty much the film in a nut-shell, Jones is cuter than Aileen Quinn was, but I suppose the most watchable character for adults is McDormand, a good once-in-a-while (or just once, period) family film. Okay!

loufalce If you are looking for crashes, explosions, graphic violence, graphic sex, foul language-look elsewhere.Absolutely captivating children's movie for the whole family. Good screen version of a few of Bemelman's stories well acted by a good cast.Mc Dormond is fine as Miss Clavel ,the nun who runs the house all covered with vines with 12 little girls in two straight lines. Hattie Jones is perfect as the mischievous and adventuresome Madeline, the smallest of the girls.Story has something to do with the school closing, but it does not matter.What is here is well acted, directed and moves at a good pace without any dull stretches. A perfect example of a movie that doesn't "talk down" to its audience. The movie does manage to capture the essence of the characters and they all are fine. Paris never looked so good, even if the time line was changed from the 1930s to the 1950s. The transitions from French to English dialogue can be somewhat confusing, but in the light of the films overall context, they can be overlooked. Film is sweet without being saccharine or overly sugary, and the authority figures do not come across as boobs or idiots, but rather as believable characters.Its a shame that Hattie Jones never made another movie. Her portrayal as Madeline hits all the right notes. She will not disappoint Madeline fans-and there are many, including myself. A charming movie and a treat, Madeline has an overall sense of innocence that seems all too rare in this day and age. Surprisingly intelligent and faithful to its sources, Madeline is a keeper!

hbarannik I just loved this version of Madeline, with the inimitable Frances McDormand and Nigel Hawthorne. Funny, attractive movie that is lively enough for adults to enjoy. I highly recommend it. Nothing offensive in it at all. The cinematography, the acting, the costuming was of the highest quality. As a child I did not really read the Madeline series of books, but I did as an adult, and I found that this screenplay and production bring the book to life. At a time and in a society where there is so much negative entertainment, this was a pleasant offering. It was uplifting. It even had just enough suspense to make it interesting for adults.