Movie Review: The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Disney’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green is everything but odd, unless you are of the mind-set that great movies being made as of late are few and far between. Finally ladies and gentlemen there is a wonderful movie that all audiences will enjoy. This drama/fantasy/comedy grips you from the very beginning. It’s a laugh out loud, sweet, and tender movie that is sure to entertain.
Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim Green (Joel Edgerton), a young couple living in Stanleyville known best for the town’s declining pencil making factory, have just learned that they are unable to conceive a child. This enormous disappointment prompts them to try and obtain some kind of closure, in an attempt to diminish their heartache; they spend an evening developing their perfect child. Each of them writes on a slip of paper just what attributes their child would be like, right down to the name. They take all of the characteristics, place them in a box and bury them in the garden. Miraculously an enormous rain storm occurs in the drought ridden city raining only on the Green’s home. The most extraordinary arrival of Timothy Green has cropped up quite literally. The young lad played by CJ Adams is extremely likeable much in the same way we fell in love with Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. Timothy is absolutely everything his parents dreamed up, right down to being the kind of kid that scores the winning goal.
Cindy and Jim decide that it would be best for Timothy to keep his differences hidden from the rest of the town. They feel that he will be teased and they want to spare him any unnecessary bullying. Meanwhile Timothy makes friends with Joni (Odeya Rush) an eccentric young lady he can relate to; she too has her imperfections she keeps hidden from the world. Joni recognizes that Timothy is very special and together they share a unique relationship with nature; they create an exquisite area in the forest that is positively dream-like. One of the most memorable moments this beloved little boy has, is in how he reacts in a very deep way to the sun when it shines upon him. It will move and inspire you. Something we all can remember to do in both appreciation and revitalization.
Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton in “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” Photo by Phil Bray – © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
There is an extremely moving scene in which Cindy’s a bit over-the-top sister Brenda (Rosemarie DeWitt) has an annual family recital where in which her entire very talented family of musicians performs a mildly pretentious concert. Brenda states before her audience that they are forgoing the finale in place of having her new nephew Timothy play an instrument, having been earlier mislead that he was “musical.” Cindy and Jim are very nervous, knowing that Timothy is not musical and that this could prove to be an embarrassing disaster, they try to leave, and unbelievably Timothy surprises them by saying he would like to do it. He meanders around from instrument to instrument and finally stops at a cow bell. It looks as if it is going to be a catastrophe, when with great surprise his parents jump in and as a family they together make a most amazing and entertaining performance. They truly rocked it out!
The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a refreshing, family friendly film that has many beautiful visuals and falls in the must see category. Writer/director Peter Hedges out does himself touching on the subjects of bullying, dreaming, honesty, hard work, and love. This film is definitely 2012’s feel good movie of the year!
Betsy Cizek
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