The Odd Life of Timothy Green

This is a nice family movie. It's not great but for those who want to see a film with no violence or sex, well... this is it.
It is a 2012 Walt Disney production starred by Jennifer Garner (Cindy Green) and Joel Edgerton (Jim Green). In the movie they are a couple who has tried everything to have a child of their own and every attempt has been fruitless. who live in Stanleyville where they lead petty routinary lives. They do so much want to have a child that they write everything they wish for a  child in some papers and put them inside a box which in turn they bury in their front yard. Some time later their wish is magically (no explanation given) granted and a boy (Cameron Adams), a pre-teen, appears inside their house covered by mud. As they wash him they discover the boy is not entirely normal for he has a few leaves growing from his legs which cannot be cut off. The boy says his name is Timothy and calls Cindy his Mom, and Jim, his Dad. The boy is a unique and wonderful being who will change their lives and by extension the lives of all those who live in Stanleyville. Sadly, the leaves are an indication of something and that is that Timothy's life is destined to be a short one.
I really like movies that talk about values and that somehow try to be or look different. If you see the beginning you will not understand why the Greens are where they are  and why they are telling who appears to be some kind of governement officer their unbelievable experience as Timothy´s parents. Then you see the final scenes and you understand. the acting is consistent but not profound and perhaps this is because of the plot that does not require any excessive drama. There is a lot of fantasy in this film and a lot of good will but it also deals with serious topics such as bullying, sibling rivalry and father-son grudges which are resolved neatly though not necessarilly in a realistic manner.
Three stars out of five for this one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do you say MIRADOR in English?

Image
"Hmm, why do I have this nagging feeling that someone is watching me watching?" In Spanish, a MIRADOR is any place that allows a privileged view of the surroundings. In English, a MIRADOR is a VIEWPOINT or a LOOKOUT. Another possible translation is VANTAGE POINT, though in a tourist context this term is a bit less common.
Read more

The Maps of Ship-Trap Island

Image
Once I had my high school students read The Most Dangerous Game, a short story by Richard Connell. Rainsford, the main character, is a professional hunter traveling by ship to his next hunting area, accidentally ends up in an island called Ship- Trap island. When he goes into the island he finds there are two men living in a palace in the island. One of them is a Cossack general and the other, his brutish servant.  The Cossack is called general Zaroff who is also  a game hunter but has become bored of hunting regular game and now uses the island's unique position to capture sailors from shipwrecks. He lets them go first and next after some time he hunts them down. Rainford's arrival who is worldwide famous presents Zaroff with a rare opportunity to find excitement in hunting again by hunting another hunter. Little does Zaroff know that Rainsford is The Most Dangerous Game in the World and hunting him will not be easy at all. My students enjoyed themselves at reading...
Read more

How do you say EXAMEN SUPLETORIO in English?

Image
Darn! I wonder if there's a Make Up exam for this Make up exam! I remember that long ago I asked my distinguished and knowledgeable colleagues of that time to enlighten me and tell me the right English word for what we know in Ecuador as EXAMEN SUPLETORIO or EXAMEN DE RECUPERACION.  After hearing Recovery exam or Supplemenary test and even Supletory exam, I was not convinced so I decided to go to a higher authority and looked up one of those encyclopedic dictionaries from Oxford or Cambridge university (these were the pre-browser times) and found the right expression is MAKE UP EXAM which is taken when an exam has been missed or when a student needs to change one score with a more favorable one. The British say RECUPERATION EXAM which is perhaps more practical since to some people the term Make Up is confusing. Make-up is the word for the wearing of cosmetics. There are Make-up tests which are oriented to future Make-up artists.
Read more