So finally, I was able to catch The Odd Life of Timothy Green on video. I didn’t catch this Disney  movie, originally released in August of last year on its regular run but because of its premise and because it  featured two of my favorite actors, Jennifer Garner (Alias, Elektra), and Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Warrior) who play the parents of a unique little boy that enter their life like a dream, I decided to catch up. I loved it.

Jim and Cindy Green have been trying to have a child for the longest time but because of a medical condition, this proved to be impossible. Depressed, husband and wife get the idea of writing of all the characteristics that their “child” would have had and placed it in a box, which they bury in their vegetable garden. The same night, following a heavy downpour, the couple wake up to find their house invaded by a little boy caked in mud, calling them mom and dad. What’s more unique is that the boy, who introduces himself as Timothy has leaves on his legs and seems to have the very same traits that both Jim and Cindy wrote on their list. As Timothy began to transform the lives of the people in his community, the couple begin to wonder what it was that their child was keeping from them.

I love Jennifer Garner. This woman can kick ass just as well as she can do comedy and drama, and as a small town artist who is earnestly wanting to have a child, she conveys natural emotions of joy, anguish, wonder and love and communicates these so well with her co-stars. Joel Edgerton, in my opinion is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood today. As a tormented aging mixed martial artist in Warrior to the down to earth factory worker in this movie, Edgerton is equal parts goofy and determined to raise his weird new son as a good father. The young CJ Adams who nabbed the titular role was also fun to watch.

The story was very light and simple. Yet, it walloped a punch and heads straight for the gut. Timothy Green was someone anyone can relate to, someone people wish they had in their own lives and in this sense, the movie connected to its audience successfully.

I liked the message of family that the movie conveyed. The magic is just a bonus but the movie carries the trademark of Disney from the first frame up to the last. The Odd Life of Timothy Green was a heartwarming children’s movie that even adults can enjoy. It reminded me a bit of Big Fish but less surreal and more kid friendly. My only complaint perhaps was that it was too short to go for a deeper emotional impact.