Roald Dahl's Esio Trot

2015 "A retired bachelor has a thing for his neighbor who only shows affection to her pet tortoise."
6.9| 1h27m| en
Details

Mr. Hoppy is a shy old man who lives alone in an apartment building. For many years, he has been secretly in love with Mrs. Silver, a woman who lives below him. Mr. Hoppy frequently leans over his balcony and exchanges polite conversation with Mrs. Silver, but he is too shy to disclose how he feels. Mr. Hoppy longs to express his feelings to Mrs. Silver, but he can never bring his lips to form the words. Mrs. Silver has a small pet tortoise, Alfie, whom she loves very much. One morning, Mrs. Silver mentions to Mr. Hoppy that even though she has had Alfie for many years, her pet has only grown a tiny bit and has gained only 3 ounces in weight. She confesses that she wishes she knew of some way to make her little Alfie grown into a larger, more dignified tortoise. Mr. Hoppy suddenly thinks of a way to give Mrs. Silver her wish and win her affection.

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Reviews

InspireGato Film Perfection
SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Chantel Contreras It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.
Master Baldwin While the whole plot could seem rather weak, this movie is a perfect example of a modern storytelling done with mastery. The pace of the movie is voluntarily slow, the actors are excellent, the breaking of the fourth wall is used with wit by a character who at first seems to be there only to tell us the story, and there are some surprising events that are typical of an action movie.
doriweb-555-829367 There is definitely an age difference between the principle actors, but I think the age difference wasn't too distracting, because, once you get past a certain age, it seems old age is just old age. I take exception to another reviewer stating his opinion as though it were gospel, that Dustin Hoffman didn't want to make this movie. That is utterly ridiculous. If he hadn't wanted to make it, I'm sure he wouldn't have. Why would he? I think he did a great job, just what the script called for, and I find it highly insulting for anyone to claim that his performance was less than excellent. It seems a little slow at times, but don't give up on it. I felt it was definitely worth it to stay until the end. It left me feeling that my time watching it was not wasted, and I felt a peaceful kind of happy.
bbewnylorac This is a very curious movie. Kind of a children's film for adults. Based on a story by the wonderful Roald Dahl and co-written by the excellent filmmaker Richard Curtis, it's almost cartoonish in its approach. I felt Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman are well cast as a vivacious retired midwife, Mrs Silver, and a very shy, lonely American retiree, Mr Hoppy, who live one above the other in an apartment block. Dustin's character wants to win the heart of Judi, so he sets out to grant her wish that her tortoise, Alfie, will grow bigger. He does this by secretly winching Alfie out of her garden, and replacing him with a slightly bigger tortoise, and then replacing that tortoise, and so on until 'Alfie' - which is who Judi's character believes he still is - is the desired weight. The whole story is narrated straight to camera by the wonderful James Corden, playing their neighbour with a lot of wit and a little cynicism. The movie would be good for someone stuck in hospital or sick in bed at home, because it's very undemanding. Other reviewers say the Dustin character is deceptive, but actually Judi's character isn't perfect, either -- she can't accept Alfie just as he is, and she also can't see that her neighbour adores her. And Dustin doesn't kill off the tortoises he replaces: he keeps them all in his increasingly crowded apartment. The message of this film is that if you love someone, you should tell them directly, and not waste time, because trying to win their heart in indirect ways can create all sorts of chaos, and ultimately you can miss out. Also that it's never too late to fall in love, which is kind of nice.
Jackson Booth-Millard I only know the really obvious works of Roald Dahl, i.e. James and the Giant Peach, Willy Wonka, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Witches and Matilda, so when I saw this TV made film was coming to television at Christmas time, and the two cast members in it, I was most looking forward to it, written by Richard Curtis. Basically lonely ageing bachelor Mr. Hoppy (Dustin Hoffman) lives in a London flat, he has two loves in his life, the garden on his balcony, and the widow who lives in the flat below him, Mrs. Silver (Dame Judi Dench), the only time he usually sees her up close or talks to her is going in the elevator, but over the years he has always been too shy to express his feelings for her. Mr. Hoppy tries to tell her sometimes from his balcony, but she is too fond of her new tortoise Archie to respond, and his opposite neighbour Mr. Pringle (About Time's Richard Cordery) is just a massive bore, too focused on talking about himself. But Mr. Hoppy sees an opportunity to make Mrs. Silver happy and show how much he cares, in conversation she tells how she wishes her tortoise would grow bigger, he convinces her that he knows a Bedoiun chant that if she speaks it will make her tortoise grow bigger within a month, she says if that happens she will be eternally grateful to him. Next day Mr. Hoppy hatches a secret plan, he buys dozens of tortoises, he hears Mrs. Silver read the chant he gives her, Esio Trot ("tortoise" spelt backwards), with the help of a special fishing rod he creates he swaps Archie for one ever so slightly bigger tortoise, while Mrs. Silver is away, when returns she is overjoyed to see that this chant is working. As the gradual "growing" of the tortoise continues, Mr. Hoppy and Mrs. Silver talk much more often from their balconies, Mr. Pringle is the one who helps them get together for dinner, but the neighbours do not have much opportunity to talk while he is being boorish, and worse comes when it looks like Mr. Pringle is trying to win her affections, Mr. Hoppy is almost about to give up his plan, but she continues to be happy with her "growing" tortoise, so he continues. It comes to the point when, after a month of the secret swapping, the tortoise in its box has become so big it can no longer fit through the doors of its house, Mrs. Silver is so happy that she invites Mr. Hoppy to come to her flat to celebrate, Mr. Hoppy excited rushes downstairs, and unknowingly leaves his door open for the real tortoise Archie to escape, just as Mr. Hoppy proposes marriage to Mrs. Silver, Mr. Pringle knocks and shows Archie was wandering around, Mr. Hoppy's plan is rumbled. Thinking he no longer can win the heart of Mrs. Silver, Mr. Hoppy returns all the tortoises to the pet shop and sits alone and crushed in his flat, finding two tortoises left behind hiding he gives them to the children of his neighbour, the Narrator (James Corden), telling the whole story to him, he understands and feels for Mr. Hoppy, maybe there will be no happy ending in this story. However, Mrs. Silver knocks on Mr. Hoppy's door, firstly to tell him that she has no interest in Mr. Pringle, he is such a bore, and secondly to tell him that, in fact, she has had feelings for him for the many years that have lived opposite each other, and she answers his earlier proposal question with a "yes", a few weeks later they are married and live happily ever after. Also starring Big School's Jimmy Akingbola as Keen Pet Shop Keeper, Psychoville's Lisa Hammond as Mrs. Desmond and Derek's Salo Gardner as Mr. Mavrokoukoudopolous. Hoffman is fantastic being the polite and longing neighbour, Dench is sweet as the woman who loves her tortoise and maybe has affection for her neighbour also, the two are perfectly cast, the way this film is made perfectly encapsulates the feel of Roald Dahl stories that have gone before, the characters are great, the story is simple, funny and sweet, it is just a must see family treat, a fabulous romantic comedy. Very good!