I hadn't read this book before seeing the movie. why? well, because according to Barnes & Noble there is no book for this movie to be based on. how odd is that? seems that most movies these days are based on books.......or on previous movies. so an original movie concept was......well........odd!!
but the movie was able to interest Jennifer Garner to the lead female role so I knew it had to be worth giving a try. I don't give Disney as much credit.
the basic premise of The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a couple unable to conceive plants a box of their dreams for a child. lo and behold, one shows up. odd, huh? (okay, I'll stop with that......) now in the real world, CPS would swoop in and snag the kid away and it would take years for them to get Timothy back again.......assuming they weren't imprisoned for kidnapping him or something. but this is Disney, so that doesn't happen. but, that doesn't stop odd (sorry) and magical things from taking place. like the fact that no one questions a boy mysteriously showing up and the school not making the parents show 24 forms of proof of birth and immunizations......
Disney knew exactly how to pull the punches in the script. from the type-A sister saying that Timothy wasn't a "real" son (that irks all us adoptive parents who want to know how a kid isn't real) to the unattentive parent who makes the dad strive to be a better parent. we are set up to fight for the Green family to succeed. does it work? I don't really think so. the ploys were too obvious and the ending a little too perfect.
despite all that, the boy who plays Timothy, CJ Adams, is totally adorable and the perfect fit of gawky young boy and wizened old man. his impish charm adds to the adventure. somehow he keeps this sappy story from truly plummeting head first over the cliff of saccharine sweetness. and I'll be honest, it teeters so darn close!!
while this is a Disney movie, it is rated PG and for a reason. there isn't anything that will permanently scar children, but they won't enjoy the movie and the simplistic look at adoption and how children are "gotten" is a little odd (last time). I'd save this one for a rainy afternoon to watch while you are drinking hot chocolate.
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