With a realistic base featuring an imaginative twist that echoes classics such as Big Fish and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, this film is a break from the fictional worlds of summer-flicks and instead finds its setting in a world that is quite familiar, a small town set in modern day. Despite having a realistic tone, there is a touch of magic that makes this story a little different.
So the big question is: Should you take the leap of faith for the Odd Life of Timothy Green? Unless you are the adventurous type with a knack for diving right into family dramas, you probably won't find yourself jumping for joy.
Which is disappointing.
The film opens promisingly, revealing the beautiful town of Stanleyville, USA. The strongest point definitely has to be the cinematography. Lighting, costuming, set design, color, all are done quite masterfully to create a delightful world that is inherently realistic but at the same time just a little bit idyllic and enchanting. You want to live in this world. It's Main Street, USA but with a lived-in feel that makes it even more charming and inviting.
It is from this backdrop that the magical story takes root. We find Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), a happily married couple who can't wait to start a family but can only dream about what their perfect child would be like after they discover that they cannot conceive a child together.
In an act of closure on their attempts to start their own family, Cindy and Jim write up a series of traits and qualities that their perfect child would exhibit and then bury these wishes in a wooden box in their garden. That night, a magical storm localized over just their home brings a special surprise: young Timothy (CJ Adams) with a special leafy trait (a trait you can probably figure out by giving the film's poster a glance.)
Thus far, everything above is seen in the promotional trailers for the movie. It's at this point, though, that I soon find myself on a journey to nowhere. For the rest of the story, the Greens share the struggles of parenthood with their magical child who seems to embody all of the traits that they'd hoped their child would embody. The only problem is that the film seems to really lack any sort of solid through-line as Timothy goes onto to embody all those perfect traits that the Greens had originally wished for.
The biggest problem is that there is no inherent struggle. Sure, the Greens go through the tribulations of parenthood as they raise young Timothy... but then that's not the point of the movie. Then there's the fact that they have to conceal HOW they got this kid... but that's not the point of the movie. And then there's the whole magical traits of Timothy which they have to hide... but then that's not the point of the movie, either. You might be asking, what's the point? Unfortunately, I don't know.
Throughout the majority of the story, there's just not a real struggle or goal that we work towards as movie-goers, no matter how adorably sweet we find Timothy or how likeable we find the Greens.
We continue on-wards from scene to scene without a solid direction of why we're even along for the journey. So while intentions for The Odd Life of Timothy Green might be to fit in the relatively undefined category of Drama with a pinch of magic, it misses the mark on the primary goal of just being a solid movie.
You can discover the magical world of The Odd Life of Timothy Green for yourself when the film opens in theaters, August 15. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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