Remarkably Bright Creatures review: A heartwarming Netflix adaptation

I may have my gripes with Netflix’s business model (theatrical releases are not your enemy!), but at least when it comes to knowing what to release on Mother’s Day weekend, they’ve been crushing it the last two years with 2025’s “Nonnas” and now “Remarkably Bright Creatures.”

Part of the secret is understanding that some of the biggest stars of the ’70s and ’80s have lost none of their talent and can still lead feature films. This time out, they’ve rested their movie on Sally Field, who shines opposite the charming Lewis Pullman. Oh, and there’s also an octopus named Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina) who sees humans better than we see ourselves. It all makes for yet another film that isn’t designed to upend expectations as much as it’s made to comfort, uplift, and charm while never feeling leaden or overbearing. For some, its sweetness and simple resolutions may be a bit much, but it’s tough to be mad at a movie this pleasant.

Tova Sullivan (Field) works as the cleaning lady at the aquarium in her small, Northwest Pacific town. While she has a few close friends, her life is lonely and isolated, especially since losing her husband and, decades prior, her only child. One day, while trying to get the wily Marcellus back into his enclosure, she slips and hurts her ankle. Meanwhile, young musician Cameron (Pullman) comes to town following the death of his mother and looking for the father who abandoned them. When his van breaks down, friendly local shopkeeper Ethan (Colm Meaney) suggests he step in to assist the injured Tova. While the “cleaning lady” and the “juvenile” (as Marcellus calls them in his narration) at first bristle at each other’s company, they soon begin to connect, and Marcellus sees an opportunity to repay Tova for saving his life when she put him back in his tank.

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