Charlotte's Web (2006) - 8 stars out of 10

Charlotte's Web (2006) - 8 stars out of 10

"Charlotte's Web" may be the best story about friendship that I have ever seen.  This family-friendly film is a breathe of fresh air between the extremes of "way inappropriate" and "painfully cheesy."  The all-star cast of voices does not disappoint, from Julia Roberts as Charlotte to Steve Buscemi as Templeton.  I feel that E.B. White would have been proud of this live-action interpretation of his story.  Unlike the cute cartoon Charlotte in the 1973 animated film, this rendition of Charlotte is realistic and kind of creepy-looking to effectively drive home the point that Wilbur is able to see past the skin (uh, do spiders have skin?) and into the heart of this well-meaning friend.  Whether you are six or sixty, everyone can take a few lessons from this film.  From amidst the great voices of John Cleese, Oprah, Kathy Bates, and Robert Redford comes another enchanting performance by Dakota Fanning.  She'll melt your heart with every subtle mannerism.  Beau Bridges is also great, but my favorite part of the film is definitely the crows, voiced by Thomas Haden Church and Andre Benjamin.  They are absolutely hysterical, particularly their dialogue about the scarecrow.  Even though the humor breaks up the sentimentality exactly when it needs to, be prepared to get choked up.  Whether it's the actual events of the story or that childhood attachment to these characters (like when "Some Pig" makes its first appearance), this movie will transport you back to a time of innocence.  Something about the cinematography and music combine to give the film a great "nostalgia factor" and you will just want to watch it over and over again.