Roald Dahl's Esio Trot (2015)

I always thought that Roald Dahl's stories were creepy, but this story is the most horrific of all: suggesting that animals are things that can be exchanged without consequences is just disgusting. This is not charming, this is exactly what is wrong with the human race and why animals have to suffer from them. A "hero" who does this, does not deserve to succeed and therefore this story does not work for me at all.

Roald Dahl's 'Esio Trot' is a simple but charming tale about a shy, middle aged man called Mr Hoppy who harbours a crush on his downstairs neighbour, the kind-hearted and glamorous Mrs Silver. When Mrs Silver casually mentions that she wishes her beloved tortoise Alfie would grow a bit faster/larger, Mr Hoppy devises a cunning plan to try to win the woman of his dreams…The difficulty with adapting 'Esio Trot' into a full length feature is that the story is very short and must be 'fleshed out' in order to fill 90 minutes or more. Hence, this adaptation introduces new characters that were not in the original book, including the narrator and his family (the book has no narrator as such), the eccentric pet shop owner (Mr Hoppy does visit a number of pet shops in the book but the owners are not described), and various bit parts that have been added such as Mrs Silver's friends at the dance marathon. Most notably there is the addition of the obnoxious Mr Pringle, the next door neighbour and Mr Hoppy's rival for Mrs Silver's affections; in the original story, Mr Hoppy has no rival other than Alfie but the addition of one does increase the dramatic tension. And with additional characters come additional scenes, some of which do help explain what the book does not cover e.g. how Mr Hoppy can afford to buy all the tortoises, or expands upon what the book only touches on such as Mrs Silver's feelings for Mr Hoppy (in the book she does indicate after Mr Hoppy's proposal that she's always felt the same way about him but this is confirmed in the film when it is revealed that Mrs Silver has been actively trying to attract Mr Hoppy all along).Finally, purists of the book may disagree with the filmmakers decision to change the ending. In the book, Mrs Silver - who accepts Mr Hoppy's proposal straight away - never finds out about the switch and continues to believe for the rest of her life that the larger tortoise is Alfie, while the original Alfie was returned to the pet shop where he was bought by a family (and double in size after many years). In the film version, Mrs Silver discovers the switch (and gets Alfie back) and does not immediately accept Mr Hoppy's proposal. Moreover, Mr Hoppy is led to believe that Mrs Silver has begun a relationship with Mr Pringle. But perhaps the filmmakers felt that it was too dishonest for Mr Hoppy to forge a relationship with Mrs Silver after having lied to her and – effectively – stolen her tortoise! But personally it didn't really bother me and meant that the story could have a more dramatic ending with Mrs Silver finally realising the lengths that Mr Hoppy would go to for her.All in all, an enjoyable adaptation, beautifully acted by Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench and while mainly aimed at children, there is still plenty for adults to enjoy.

Dustin Hoffman plays the silver haired shy American ex-pat Mr Hoppy who lives in an apartment building tending to his garden on his balcony.Judi Dench is the flame haired Mrs Silver, the new neighbour who has moved into the apartment building. She may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier and she has a pet tortoise who is growing just too slowly for her liking.Mr Hoppy is lovestruck at first sight but he needs to pluck up the courage just to exchange a few words with the more outgoing Mrs Silver.Mr Hoppy hatches an elaborate plan to fool Mrs Silver that her tortoise is growing fast which does not seem too romantic at first.Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer adapted the book from Roald Dahl which is more whimsical and romantic than being a dark fairy tale for children which Dahl is better known for.The film has narration from James Corden who frames the story of the two elderly romantics bouncing sparks off each other. The minor characters are painted broadly.Hoffman gives a very subtle performance as Mr Hoppy, far from those intense characters he played when he was younger, full of various ticks, mannerisms and vocal abilities. He is simply just more relaxed. A softer version of the Method.It is left to Dench to be more vivid, footloose and flirtatious with various costumes that she wears as she bumps into Mr Hoppy in the lift. Mrs Silver has passions of her own that she wants to unleash.However the film does feel a little stage bound, the apartment setting looks too studio bound. The makers try to overcome this with Corden walking down the street or being on the bus but it just felt a little insular although enjoyable enough.

this film was tedious, typical and overall SO lame!!! Mr hoppy is SO boring and monotonous!! watch this film if you want to be put to sleep... Mr pringle is the only mildly humorous character but is eventually the one who out Mr hoppy's devious plan.Mr hoppy is a boring old man who lets loneliness and boredom get the better of him, his plan is creepy and weird and very devious which he claims to be out of love for her but clearly not.he fails to show his love for her in any way and then asks her to marry him!! really dude... and im pretty sure than you cant have 100 tortoises in one tiny flat...