The Odd Life of Timothy Green Movie Review
Nathan Swank
August 20th, 2012
Every once in a while, one is lucky enough to see a film that strikes a chord with them personally, as if the filmmakers were reading your heart and mind and catered their film directly toward you. Disney’s THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN is a magical uplifting film with an abundance of love that is undeniably contagious.
Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) are a happily married small town couple. Immediately, we learn with the charming couple the heart breaking news that they are unable to have children. The sadness is difficult to overcome on the eve of the news. But in order to move past their dreams of birthing their own child, they decide to embrace their sorrows for one night. They write down a sort of wish list of everything they believe their child would be: Honest to a fault, funny like Uncle Bob, have the ability to “Rock” and score the winning goal among other beautifully selfish desires all parents want for their children. That night, they bury their dreams in the garden only to wake up later that night with a young muddy boy named Timothy in their home with mysterious leaves growing from his ankles.
Surrounded by some fantastic supporting actors including Dianne Wiest, Ron Livingston, Common, M. Emmet Walsh, Rosemarie DeWitt and David Morse, young CJ Adams holds his own effortlessly as Timothy Green. He’s cute and impressionable and writer/director Peter Hedges (PIECES OF APRIL, DAN IN REAL LIFE) wisely keeps the emotional moments for the adults. Which brings us to the real focus of THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN, the parents. Jennifer Garner (JUNO) and Joel Edgerton (WARRIOR) give heart warming performances as Timothy’s new found parents. The joys, sadness and growth the two hopeful parents go through are honest and believable. And their chemistry together deserves a separate category of praise all on its own, as the two upheld a kind, supportive, positive view of a loving marriage rarely captured on film.
Full of simple life lessons, THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN cleverly finds the balance in interfering with a child’s relationship vs. giving them space, letting your child fight their own battles vs. defending them at all costs and always worrying about pressuring them to be something they are not. These struggles are relatable for any parent and this family friendly film gently touches on many topics without becoming preachy or too heavy in dramatic baggage.
Some of the town people and extended family problems are typical and easy but they are accurate in a small scale and dealt with appropriately. Quite frankly, any flaws the film might have are completely overridden by the size of its heart. THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN is a sweet film. It’s a magical film. It’s a film that hopefully touches the heart and creates a self reflective look in a positive way on what it is to love and be loved. I understand that the film won’t speak to everyone the way it did to my wife and I who would eventually love to have kids, so I hope at the very least it may provide you with a great day… and if that’s too much pressure – may you have the day that you have.
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