By: RAMA
Since MattInRC is on his little vacation I thought who else better to give us a review for THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN then our friend RAMA. It's been a while since we heard from him.
One of the most magical and wonderful family films I’ve ever seen. THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN will give you clarity and hope. This is a movie for parents and parents to-be. For those who value family as much as I do. This is a movie for those of us who were once kids, a movie that resonates. With enough mystery to keep your curiosity fed, this timeless story is for anyone who thinks they couldn’t reach the impossible, it melts your heart and stays with you long after it’s done…
Academy Award®–nominated writer/director Peter Hedges (“Dan in Real Life,” What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”) brings enchantment to the screen with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” an inspiring, magical story about a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.
When young Timothy suddenly comes into the lives of Cindy and Jim Green, they learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.
One of the big reasons why I think this movie works is because it’s handled by the right helmer. Writer/director Peter Hedges brought us such films as About A Boy, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Pieces Of April, Dan In Real Life, those are stories with themes of family and home and the yearning to return to those aspects of life that are the sources of real joy and comfort because they are found in our need to be there for each other no matter what happens.
Hedges knows how to handle emotional, character-driven story that at times requires us to use extra imagination, such in the case of THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN, where a couple, Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy (Jennifer Garner) Green desperately longs to have their own kid but the world and life itself have told them that they couldn’t, and so when a mysterious boy named Timothy (CJ Adams), covered in dirt, shows up and starts calling them mom and dad, and he embodies everything that they wish to have in their kid, their desire to become parents is put to the test and it takes them learning to accept Timothy’s different characteristics, it takes them using their imagination to work together and produce a product that could save their town, it takes them making new mistakes along the way but being there for Timothy no matter how embarrassing it might look to other people, THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN doesn’t only teach couples to become better parents, it also teaches you to be a better person.
This is the perfect Disney’s live action family film.
Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner are fantastic in this film. As Jim and Cindy respectively, the two actors connect really well, you can believe them as struggling, decent, honest, hardworking parents who are strong and vulnerable, and you can’t help but root for them every step of the way.
Edgerton did previously play this type of family man role effortlessly well in Warrior.
Jim and Cindy come up with qualities that they want to see in their child if they’re ever blessed with one, and what I like about these characters is that you know they would be great parents but just like in all cases, they too have to go through the trial and error phases of being parents, the doubts, the fear, the insecurity, Jim in particular has always had a problem standing up to others, and Cindy is concerned about Timothy and whether or not they’re doing right so far by the textbook.
But luckily, Timothy embodies all the good qualities about Jim and Cindy.
Child actor CJ Adams who plays Timothy, understands that his character is always bravely open to new things and that usually gives grounds for concern, any normal parent would often be scared for their kid who displays such quality, fearing that other kids might bully them. But as the story progresses, Jim and Cindy learn that the only best way is to just accept Timothy for who he is and that is exactly what Timothy teaches the whole town, for the people to accept and see themselves for who they are.
There’s something about CJ Adams that’s just fascinating, he looks wise beyond his years, he reminds you of Haley Joel Osment back when he was in A.I.. The audience would badly want Timothy to fit in but fitting in is not exactly part of Timothy’s mission. His mission is to celebrate and be ok with what’s different and unique about you.
Great supporting cast, with Dianne Wiest, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Ron Livingston. Actingwise, THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN doesn’t fall short. Great production design, I love everything about the fictitious Stanleyville which gives you that small town USA feel, I think it’s brilliant the fact that making pencils is the driving force of this town’s economy, so there is not a distance between the parents’ livelihood and Timothy. If you like Autumn season, there’s another reason to watch this film, and there’s nothing period or retro about the costumes, they even add to the timelessness of this film.
Without spoiling the most important plotpoint, Timothy is there to teach Jim and Cindy that they have what it takes to be good parents all along, it may not be smooth-sailing but they’re going to do just fine. Being parents is not something that should be taken lightly but it’s not something that should be feared either.
It’s all about showing up and being there. Plus, I’m a huge fan of adoption.
This year, go watch THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN and be hopeful.
GRADE: 5 out of 5
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