I love movies about old people. Yes, I want to cry over found family and the grumpy gray-haired man who lives next door. Olivia Newman’s Remarkably Bright Creatures, based on Shelby van Pelt’s novel, is no exception. It’s a collection of cliches stitched together with the sentimentality of the human experience, held through the glue of beautiful acting. 

Tova (Sally Field), a widow who lost her son in a tragic boating accident, works as the nighttime cleaner at the local aquarium until she sprains her ankle while speaking to the narrator-octopus, Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina). Luckily for her, Cameron (Lewis Pullman), who drifts through town amid a middle(ish) life crisis, is in need of a job during his quest to find his deadbeat father. 

You might be able to guess where the plot unfurls from there. The storyline blooms through its handling of the human experience—in her old age, Tova must sell her house, a log cabin built by her late husband, and move to a retirement home. Cameron searches for his sense of purpose as his career plans fall apart. The universality of these stories is what makes the audience feel for the characters. 

It was the actors that transformed the characters into people—Field brought the nuance needed to breathe life into Tova’s character. Even Molina was incredible, with the voice of an ocean documentary filmmaker infused with a nuanced layer of emotion. 

As an audience member, you must put in the work to enjoy a film like Remarkably Bright Creatures. Partially narrated by a perceptive, meddling octopus, this story requires you to be in a sentimental mood. Yet, if you lean into the film’s playfulness, you may find a hidden pearl.