The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Expectations:
The phrase "feel-good story" has been following The Odd Life of Timothy Green around over the past few weeks, and, frankly, that frightened me. While I do enjoy feeling good, many times a PG movie takes that feeling a bit over the top. However, this film looked really good to me. Actually, I have been waiting to see it since I saw the first trailer, which was almost a year ago. In most cases, I would take my iffy expectations right to the tomatometer and go from there, and I did, which wasn't so great at 38%. Nevertheless, my mother and girlfriend wanted to see it bad enough that I was willing. So, last Saturday, we went to watch ol' Timmy Green, and he was sold out! That didn't stop us though! We went right back at it this Saturday and were finally successful!

Plot:
While there certainly was a bit of a dorky, family atmosphere about it, The Odd Life of Timothy Green did a great job of creating an original story. The predictability was there, as were the sappy moments, but the concept was quite great. I even got a little emotional (not quite as emotional as these guys). I did not shed a tear, though, which I am always proud of! The story was very uplifting, and it really makes you appreciate everything that you have been blessed with. There was a small problem with a lack of humor throughout most of the film. There weren't too many laughs from the kids in the theater, and I think this contributed to the overly-emotional ending.

Characters:
My expectations were that Timothy (played by CJ Adams) would be the main character, but his "parents" were actually at the focal point from the beginning. Unfortunately, there were a few points when I felt the characters weren't quite good enough for such an original story. This was probably due to the PG rating but oh well...

Negatives:
First, we have Timothy's love interest, Joni (played by Odeya Rush), who was completely out of place. She looked about ten years older than Timothy, and I don't really understand why she was necessary at all. Second, Timothy's grandfather (played by David Morse) was extremely awkward and did not appear as mean as he was supposed to (PG!!!). He did nothing but give his son motivation to raise Timothy in a better manner. Third, Ron Livingston did not do a very good job of playing the mean boss at the pencil company. He just wasn't mean enough (PG!!!). Finally, Uncle Bub, played by the brilliantly old M. Emmet Walsh, was not quite utilized as much as he should have been. He gave the filmmakers the perfect opportunity to add some laughs, and they failed to do so.

Positives:
I will be honest with you and say that I am a sucker for child actors. They make me remember how, as a child, I was just outside playing in the yard, rather than becoming a Hollywood star. Their talent, at such a young age, easily amazes me. CJ Adams did a fantastic job playing Timothy. He wasn't the greatest ever, but he did better than I could ever do. On top of Adams, I was also impressed with Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of Garner, who tends to be whiny and annoying. However, alongside Edgerton, she did a fantastic job. The emotions that I did feel would not have been brought about had it not been for their performances.

Conclusions:
If you will allow me to do so, I want to take a moment to brag on my parents. To my knowledge, they don't read my blog, but only because I've never really made them. As you know, if you've seen the trailer, Timothy Green's parents were unable to have a child, so they got Timothy. It was easy to see how Timothy's parents started living their life solely for Timothy, as soon as he arrived on the scene. As long as I can remember, my parents have done the same for me. If you are as fortunate as I have been, there is no way that you could watch The Odd Life of Timothy Green without getting emotional. It made me realize that no one will ever love me as unconditionally as my parents have, and they think that they are the lucky ones. Maybe I only loved it because it hit home, but, regardless, I did love it. I give The Odd Life of Timothy Green 3.27 out of 5 stars and will continue to wish that it wasn't PG.