“A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.” That is the tagline for one of Disney’s most underrated, sleeper movies of 2012. If I thought I could just say ‘see it’ and be done with it, I would – but I can’t.
This movie is about the magic of parenting. Note I didn’t say the joys or pain of parenting, but the magic of raising a child. This movie is about life and death. It’s about how short our time is with each other and how our lives impact those around us. It’s about the joy of being around family and being each others cheerleader. Most importantly, it’s about getting what you needed and sometimes what you need is not what you wished for.
Many critics didn’t care for the film because it is “…jaded” or “…syrupy” or “…saccharine sweet.” And those critics are right, but they miss the point. Yes, the movie is sentimental and tries very hard (sometimes too hard) to tug on heartstrings, but its message of the magic of interpersonal relations comes through loud and clear. The movie ask you to believe in magic the same way Disney asked the 1971 audience of Bedknobs and Broomsticks to believe magic kept the Germans from invading England during World War II. It ask you to believe that parents influence their children AND children influence their parents and touch them and others in ways that last a lifetime. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
Performances by CJ Adams as Timothy, Jennifer Garner as Cindy Green and Joel Edgerton as Jim Green were workman-like. Every man is his father’s son and until the day we die we seek our Dad’s approval. Edgerton’s Jim Green desperately wants to avoid the mistakes he believes his father made with him and this stuck a cord with me. I will confess that I was distracted by Odeya Rush, who played Joni Jerome, because of her uncanny resemblance to a younger Mila Kunis.
The bottom line is that this movie will stay with you long after you leave the theater because it has a message worth remembering. There should be more movies like this and Disney should make them.