My wife had to beg me to go see this movie. I have a very low tolerance for overly sentimental movies, and that's exactly what the trailer leads you to believe Timothy Green is. The critics are chiming in with words like "sticky sentimentality" and "mawkish melodrama." Don't believe it. If you can get past the absurd premise that you can grow a boy in the garden (not a spoiler if you've seen the trailer), then the rest of the movie is thoroughly enjoyable. And in some ways it's the opposite of sentimental.
Despite the fact that he is "made to order," Timothy is far from the ideal boy. In fact he's a misfit. Every time he tries to use one of his preordained talents, something goes wrong. Every time director and screenwriter, Peter Hedges, has the opportunity to bring a tear to your eyes, he goes in a different direction. For example, before Timothy draws a portrait of his Mom's cranky old boss lady, he takes off her glasses and lets down her hair. The portrait makes her look pretty, almost glamorous, that is until you notice the crop of hairs sprouting from her chin.
Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) aren't ideal parents either. They make one mistake after another and even make mistakes correcting their mistakes. Their foibles are an exaggerated version of what I've personally seen other parents do or what my wife and I have done ourselves.
Surprisingly, the acting is as good as you would see in the average adult drama . . . none of the "I'm just here for a paycheck" performances that are typical in children's films. I don't normally like Jennifer Garner, but this is her best performance to date in my opinion. CJ Adams is spot on in the role of Timothy. If you don't have the right boy for this role, the movie doesn't work. But Adams is just right. I particularly like that he isn't overly earnest like Haley Joel Osment (Pay It Forward, Second-Hand Lions), although he does resemble Osment.
Timothy Green is a great movie for the kids and it doesn't insult the intelligence of adults. I would also recommend it for seniors.
Despite the fact that he is "made to order," Timothy is far from the ideal boy. In fact he's a misfit. Every time he tries to use one of his preordained talents, something goes wrong. Every time director and screenwriter, Peter Hedges, has the opportunity to bring a tear to your eyes, he goes in a different direction. For example, before Timothy draws a portrait of his Mom's cranky old boss lady, he takes off her glasses and lets down her hair. The portrait makes her look pretty, almost glamorous, that is until you notice the crop of hairs sprouting from her chin.
Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) aren't ideal parents either. They make one mistake after another and even make mistakes correcting their mistakes. Their foibles are an exaggerated version of what I've personally seen other parents do or what my wife and I have done ourselves.
Surprisingly, the acting is as good as you would see in the average adult drama . . . none of the "I'm just here for a paycheck" performances that are typical in children's films. I don't normally like Jennifer Garner, but this is her best performance to date in my opinion. CJ Adams is spot on in the role of Timothy. If you don't have the right boy for this role, the movie doesn't work. But Adams is just right. I particularly like that he isn't overly earnest like Haley Joel Osment (Pay It Forward, Second-Hand Lions), although he does resemble Osment.
Timothy Green is a great movie for the kids and it doesn't insult the intelligence of adults. I would also recommend it for seniors.