The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: August 15, 2012

6.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 67 Ratings

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hoops2448Apr 26, 2013

Jennifer Garner's movie career has been fairly sketchy. She has had her successes (Juno) but has accompanied them with a plethora of failures (Elektra, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past). She has done well with her TV career and I view Alias as oneJennifer Garner's movie career has been fairly sketchy. She has had her successes (Juno) but has accompanied them with a plethora of failures (Elektra, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past). She has done well with her TV career and I view Alias as one of my all time favorite shows but she hasn't been as prolific as some would have imagined. The Odd Life of Timothy Green unfortunately carries on the trend of disappointment but not because of Garner. When wannabe parents Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) discover they cannot have children they decide to write their own fantasy child's characteristics and aspirations and wish for them (and to some extent, him) The next day, as if out of nowhere Timothy crawls from the ground outside their house with leaves growing out of his ankles. Jim and Cindy must take care of him while keeping his unique secret from the rest of town. Garner tries to tap into her character from Juno with another mother desperate for a child and she is just as good in this as she was in Juno giving the film a wealth of emotion right from the get go. The supernatural elements of this story work as they are never as important as the relationships between the characters. In fact the supernatural parts allow for some of the movies strongest moments, especially the end. The story by Ahmet Zappa (Son of Frank) is clever and also a bit childish. The film should bask in its childish tendencies but isn't allowed to because the film is filled with side stories that add context to the ending but aren't all that enjoyable. In fact the film should have spent a little more time having fun with its characters instead of providing meaning, some things are better left to the imagination. The film tries to tell too many stories. The film looks at small town life in America but it does so by introducing many side characters, none of which provide much fun to this family film except for Dianne Wiest's Bernice, a sullen museum owner, town grouch and wife of the local factory owner. The look at the disillusion of a small town in modern America thanks to the economic downturn is a courageous move for Disney but it never really rings true when it is juxtaposed with the supernatural plot and the overall tone of the film. In fact the film removes all tension from the story line at the beginning of the film thanks to an opening that reveals a little too much. Ultimately its a film that casts such a wide net in terms of story that it has to handle many topics and characters throughout the film so that nothing is looked at closely enough and most of the important themes like the relationship between fathers and sons are never fully fleshed out or realized making for a not unpleasant but empty experience.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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ZilcellSep 17, 2012

This movie isn't really odd, so the word odd should be out of the title.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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DCEdmondsNov 13, 2014

"The Odd Life of Timothy Green" 10 Scale Rating: 6.0 (Decent) ...

The Good: Creative idea. Had the potential to be a classic family film. Well acted and good enough to keep your interest until the very end. The Bad: A little too sappy"The Odd Life of Timothy Green" 10 Scale Rating: 6.0 (Decent) ...

The Good: Creative idea. Had the potential to be a classic family film. Well acted and good enough to keep your interest until the very end.

The Bad: A little too sappy and sweet for my tastes. Goes more than a little overboard with the sentimentality. Somewhat predictable ending.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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The3AcademySinsJan 28, 2020

A little odd, like the title suggests, but this is ultimately a very inoffensive movie. Its an okay watch, and has a lot of good themes about helping other humans and helping the environment. A lot of the movie feels slapped together, and notA little odd, like the title suggests, but this is ultimately a very inoffensive movie. Its an okay watch, and has a lot of good themes about helping other humans and helping the environment. A lot of the movie feels slapped together, and not very well thought out, but I enjoyed it just the same.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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BrianMcCriticMar 14, 2013

There is very little to this movie and by the end of it your kind of bored. The performances are good and the kid in this film has some good moments, but nothing memorable here.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Iky009Nov 27, 2016

Although not having a flashy and even engaging storyline, Timothy Green, it's not all bad, the story may not even stir you have your good time .

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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