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You don’t have to be a new mom like me to appreciate the magic that a child can bring to your life. There’s just something about a child’s innocence and enthusiasm and unconditional love that’s awe-inspiring and often infectious. So when a child really is magical—like the little boy in The Odd Life of Timothy Green—he has the power to inspire a whole town.
After years of trying to have a child of their own, Jim and Cindy Green (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner) are given the heartbreaking news that there’s nothing more that they can do. Before moving on with their lives, though, they spend one last night dreaming about the child they’ll never have. They write down their hopes and dreams for their child and place them in a box, which they bury in their yard.
That night, a rain shower brings a magical surprise: a 10-year-old boy named Timothy (C. J. Adams), who appears to have sprouted out of their yard. Timothy is a strange little boy with leaves growing out of his legs, but Jim and Cindy are thrilled to have a child of their own, and they vow to do everything they can to give him the perfect childhood. They eagerly begin to fumble their way through parenthood, all the while suspecting that Timothy is hiding something from them.
With its charming small-town setting and its impossibly adorable cast, The Odd Life of Timothy Green is everything you’ve come to expect from a family-friendly Disney drama. The story is sweet and heart-warming, with touches of easy-going humor to lighten the mood at just the right times.
Parents will instantly relate to Jim and Cindy—to Jim’s desire to be a better parent than his father and to Cindy’s desire to love and protect her little boy. Of course, no matter how good their intentions may be, their plans often backfire. Parenting, after all, involves a whole lot of trial and error—and they definitely make their share of errors. Still, that’s what makes them likeable characters: they mean well, yet they’re far from perfect—and they readily admit it.
Timothy, meanwhile, is the kind of lovably awkward kid who will easily win your heart—despite his plethora of quirks. On one hand, like his doting, overprotective mother, you’ll just want him to act like a normal kid. Those leaves on his legs will make you a little nervous—and some of his more bizarre actions might make you cringe just a little bit. At the same time, though, you can’t help but love this well-meaning kid who treats everyone with love and respect—and whose kind words fill the people around him with hope. And, really, you can’t blame him for his strange behavior. After all, he’s everything that Jim and Cindy willed him to be (including honest to a fault).
Still, the character is a bit of a mystery—as is the purpose of the story. It seems as though Hedges is trying to make some kind of a point here. Maybe something about being different…or something about family…or something about parenthood. But the message isn’t clear. Instead, The Odd Life of Timothy Green is mostly just a cute little story about an odd little boy and the people whose lives he touches. Unlike its main character, it isn’t especially remarkable—but it’s a sweet and enjoyable family drama nonetheless.
Blu-ray Review:
The sweetness of The Odd Life of Timothy Green comes shining through on the film’s Blu-ray release. The special features menu includes This Is Family, a charming making-of feature, in which the cast and crew members discuss their experiences in working together to make the film. It also ventures into other areas, including how to be a good parent and the importance of family—whether they’re the people you’re related to or the people with whom you choose to surround yourself.
If you’ve found yourself humming the film’s score long after you finished watching the movie (as I have), you might be interested in The Gift of Music, which covers both composer Geoff Zanelli’s score and the song by Glen Hansard. You can also check out the music video for Hasard’s song, “The Gift.”
The disc also includes a handful of deleted scenes, with optional commentary by director Peter Hedges, who discusses a few different plot points that were eventually reworked. And he gets to do more of the same—while pointing out some interesting little filmmaking details along the way—on the audio commentary track.
While the film’s extras may not be filled with movie-making insights, they’re interesting nonetheless. So if you’ve got some extra time to spare after watching the movie, you might want to take a minute or two to check them out.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
