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John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, Mark Williams, Hugh Laurie, Bradley Pierce ... see more see more... , Flora Newbigin , Tom Felton , Raymond Pickard , Celia Imrie , Aden Gillett , Doon Mackichan , Ruby Wax , Andrew Dunford , Bob Goody , Patrick Monkton , Dick Ward , George Yiassoumi

Peter Hewitt (Tom and Huck) directed this $30-million family film, an adaptation of Mary Norton's classic children's novels about a miniature family of wee folk, four inches high, living beneath the f... read more read more...loorboards of an English cottage. The Borrowers family, so labeled because they "borrow" from the house's kitchen, consist of Pod Clock (Jim Broadbent), mother Homily (Celia Imre), and children Arrietty (13-year-old Flora Newbigin) and Peagreen (Tom Felton). Their adventure begins when they're almost caught in the kitchen by the Lenders, the tenants of the house, so they run for cover. When lawyer-Realtor Ocious P. Potter (John Goodman) discovers the owner of the house has died, he makes plans to evict the Lenders and demolish the building -- a situation where one would want to "neither a Borrower nor a Lender be." Fortunately, young Pete Lender (Bradley Pierce) has become friends with Arrietty -- an alliance leading toward a method of thwarting Potter. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Flixster Users

48% liked it

48,611 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

26 critics

PG, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Peter Hewitt, Peter Hewitt (I)

Release Date: February 13, 1998

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DVD Release Date: August 19, 1998

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Stats: 1,130 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,130)

  • blkbomb
    May 13, 2012
    blkbomb
    Pod Clock: We're not vermin. We're not creeps. And we're not pests. We're Borrowers. 

    "Little People... Big Adventure"

    The Borrowers is a terrific and fun family adventure movie. It's a movie I wish I had seen when I was a child. Watching now, it still was a fun and highly ente... read morertaining film. I can't even imagine how much I would have loved it when I was a kid, especially with the amount of enjoyment I got out of it now as an adult. The film does have a certain charm about it. It's a feel good story with a big message for children attached. No matter how small you may seem in the grand scheme of things; you can always make a difference and have your voice heard. The Clock family is the perfect example of that. They are a miniature family that dwell beneath the floorboards of the Lenders. The Clock's are known as Borrowers. They live off of things they find around the house; making use of things like batteries, cards, and hooks. 

    The story revolves around the Clock's and the Lender's both losing their home. A corrupt lawyer named Potter has plans of tearing down their house. When a human child finds a Borrower in his room, he befriends it, and soon tries to help the family move along with them. Things go wrong during the move, and the Borrower children are left alone in the world. From there the adventure really takes off and becomes a story of will power on behalf of the human child and all the Clock's. The movie has a lot of slap stick comedy that will keep the kids entertained, much in the vein of movies like Home Alone. Kids should be glued to the screen for nearly an hour and a half.

    There's just a lot to like here. There's a great cast, including John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, and Hugh Laurie. Harry Potter casters must have loved what they saw from this movie because three of the actors in this film went on to star in the Harry Potter series. A young Malfoy is on display here as well. Plus there is a terrific Hans Zimmer score to bring everything together nicely. The movie looks pretty good as well. It takes advantage of the little people well and puts them in great settings and manages to not make them seem too out of place. 

    There's really nothing to complain about here. It's solid family entertainment. I watched this without children present and loved it. So that shows that it's either just a well made movie period, or that I have a lot of growing up to do still. Probably both now that I look at it. 
  • ajv2688
    July 31, 2011
    ajv2688
    The whole story about these tiny people may appeal to kids for a second or two, but overall it's not that interesting.
  • skeletonking101
    February 7, 2011
    skeletonking101
    great effects, and a great and interesting plot
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    January 7, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Cutest film ever. Tom Felton is in it too.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 22, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Little People. Big Trouble. Lots of fun.
  • thmtsang
    December 29, 2008
    thmtsang
    This is a bit like 'Mousehunt' and 'Stuart Little'. Big versus small. Tiny people live in the floorboards of ordinary people's houses. Lots of fun adventure. Ever wondered what happens to your batteries or dental floss or when your roller skate goes missing. Ask the borrowers. St... read morears John Goodman.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    September 10, 2007
    FiLmCrAzY
    everyone loves the borrowers
  • gatorgirl13
    May 31, 2007
    gatorgirl13
    So cute.
  • fb1619601747
    February 8, 2012
    fb1619601747
    Annoying, cheesy, dumb.
  • husky10000years
    February 16, 2008
    husky10000years
    Good family movie. This movie has lots of cool fx and imagination galore. It reminds me of some old polish film adout small people living somewhere in library room.

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Critic Reviews

Nell Minow
December 28, 2010
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media

Charming screen adaptation of cute book. Full Review

Maria Garcia
January 3, 2007
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International

A cut above most family entertainment. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
March 2, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Shows that courtesy not only keeps civilization humming but benefits all who practice it. Full Review

Elias Savada
January 1, 2000
Elias Savada, Nitrate Online

a touch of Dickens, a spritz of Rube Goldberg, and a dash of Monty Python Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
September 7, 2011
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Derek Elley
August 7, 2008
Derek Elley, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Click to read the article Full Review

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article Full Review

February 14, 2001
Los Angeles Times

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Peter Stack
January 1, 2000
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

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Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Borrowers Trivia

  • Which child actor from the Harry Potter series stared as Peagreen in 'The Borrowers' and louis in 'Anna and the King'?  Answer »
  • 'Pod Clock' was the father of a family in which movie?  Answer »
  • Which actor was a tiny little boy in The Borrowers, a schoolteacher's son in Anna and the King, and a DeathEather's son in Harry Potter?  Answer »
  • Who plays the nasty estate agent in the movie 'The Borrowers'?  Answer »
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