The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Opening in theatres this Friday from director Peter Hedges and Walt Disney Pictures comes a look at the makings of a family with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”.

This film tells the story of Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim Green (Joel Edgerton). A couple that have a simple and lovely life together except for one thing – a child. After trying everything to get pregnant Cindy and Jim come to the realization that it’s not going to happen for them.

Sitting at home talking about it they sit with pad and paper writing down all the wonderful things their child would have. They place the writings in a box and bury it in the garden. To their surprise, the next morning Timothy (CJ Adams) is in their home covered in dirt.

After the initial shock Cindy, Jim and Timothy begin a journey together of a friendship with Joni (Odeya Rush), loss, human nature and remembering that sometimes people are not at all what they seem.

FINAL WORD: Garner is very sweet and loving as Cindy. It is very easy to see her in this role not only because she is a mother herself, but also the emotion and love seem to shine from her face.

Edgerton as Jim is very funny but with hidden parental demons of his own to deal with. I enjoyed the fact that his character was just as quirky as Timothy himself. That lent a charm that the audience seemed to enjoy.

Adams as the young Timothy is very endearing. His wide-eyed expressions are the stuff wonderment is made of in youth that seems to have been lost somewhere through the years. There is a nice chemistry between young Adams, Garner and Edgerton.

Rush as the strange girl Joni was everything one would expect from a girl no one understood. I do wish there had been more of a back-story for her because there seemed something deep there that we missed out on.

Other cast includes: David Morse as James Green, Sr., M. Emmet Walsh as Uncle Bob, Lois Smith as Aunt Mel, Dianne Wiest as Ms. Crudstaff, Common as Coach Cal, Rosemarie DeWitt as Brenda and Shohreh Aghdashloo as Evette Onat.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” three tubs of popcorn out of five. It is a lovely idea put into an equally lovely film. If there are issues to be brought up it might be more time than anything else. It seemed to drag from time to time which could have allotted for more in the story to be told.

This is a family film to be sure that speaks of the issues that families face today with a family/social disconnect and problems between kids themselves as a focus.

In the end – he’s a force of nature.