The Borrowers
Seen it?1997 | 87 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Family
Weeknight WatchWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With a lukewarm 6.1 out of 10 from audiences and a box office loss, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh, fantasy fans and action fans. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Light and funny, feel-good.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 1 hr 27 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG: peril. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
The four-inch-tall Clock family secretly share a house with the normal-sized Lender family, "borrowing" such items as thread, safety pins, batteries and scraps of food. However, their peaceful co-existence is disturbed when evil lawyer Ocious P. Potter steals the will granting title to the house, which he plans to demolish in order to build apartments. The Lenders are forced to move, and the Clocks face the risk of being exposed to the normal-sized world.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
74% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesBelow par
6.1 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$23 million worldwide on a $29 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 132K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Peter Hewitt
- John GoodmanOcious P. Potter
- Mark WilliamsExterminator Jeff
- Jim BroadbentPod Clock
- Celia ImrieHomily Clock
- Flora NewbiginArrietty Clock
- Tom FeltonPeagreen Clock
- Raymond PickardSpiller
- Bradley PiercePete Lender
- Aden GillettJoe Lender
- Doon MackichanVictoria Lender