I have not read other reviews of this film, because I do not want my opinion to be tainted by the opinions of others. But I think this is a polarizing film . And perhaps there are good reasons for that.
"The Odd Life of Timothy Green" is a fantasy and a mystery. A married couple who learns they cannot have children buries a box containing all the personality traits they would hope a child of theirs would possess, ostensibly to symbolically bury the past dreams they can never realize, as a healing exercise. Then a child magically appears and becomes their son. And he possesses all the traits they wished for.
There is actually more than one mystery involved with this story. Where did he come from? Why is he here? And who are those people the married couple are narrating the story to?
The entire story hinges on the married couple and the foundling boy. It is all about how they treat the boy, wanting to be the perfect parents. The boy dispenses advice along the way with a native intelligence greater than the parents'. The boy is likable--charming, gentle, quirky, accepting of others and their faults. The parents, on the other hand, strike me as rather annoying. Their motivations for everything (other than their genuine love of the boy) seem to be petty, compensatory, and small minded.
However, I think the main reason this film would be polarizing is that it shamelessly leads the viewer on a journey some will find insulting, boring or too precious. Others will probably find the film wholesome, life-affirming and heartwarming. Both views are partly true.
In the end, I cannot score the film very highly. For it to have any value, the lessons it imparts--for those who find them--must be valuable lessons. If we see the parents as our proxies, learning what the creators of this film would have us learn, I have to say I think they learned little (other than be very careful what you wish for). They were a loving couple at the beginning of the film They were loving at the end. An alternate view would be that the film demonstrates that real love is the only thing you need to parent a child--a meager lesson that I think all lovers of this film always knew.
"The Odd Life of Timothy Green" is a fantasy and a mystery. A married couple who learns they cannot have children buries a box containing all the personality traits they would hope a child of theirs would possess, ostensibly to symbolically bury the past dreams they can never realize, as a healing exercise. Then a child magically appears and becomes their son. And he possesses all the traits they wished for.
There is actually more than one mystery involved with this story. Where did he come from? Why is he here? And who are those people the married couple are narrating the story to?
The entire story hinges on the married couple and the foundling boy. It is all about how they treat the boy, wanting to be the perfect parents. The boy dispenses advice along the way with a native intelligence greater than the parents'. The boy is likable--charming, gentle, quirky, accepting of others and their faults. The parents, on the other hand, strike me as rather annoying. Their motivations for everything (other than their genuine love of the boy) seem to be petty, compensatory, and small minded.
However, I think the main reason this film would be polarizing is that it shamelessly leads the viewer on a journey some will find insulting, boring or too precious. Others will probably find the film wholesome, life-affirming and heartwarming. Both views are partly true.
In the end, I cannot score the film very highly. For it to have any value, the lessons it imparts--for those who find them--must be valuable lessons. If we see the parents as our proxies, learning what the creators of this film would have us learn, I have to say I think they learned little (other than be very careful what you wish for). They were a loving couple at the beginning of the film They were loving at the end. An alternate view would be that the film demonstrates that real love is the only thing you need to parent a child--a meager lesson that I think all lovers of this film always knew.