The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet

This is the first Jeunet film I can't recommend (Alien Resurrection is a bit sketchy, but that's pretty far outside his wheelhouse anyway). And the sad thing is, this movie is actually good for the first three quarters. It details an emotional journey and road trip taken by a boy who's trying to process a traumatic event. And I should point out that although this film's lead character is a child, this movie is not really for children. Sure, it lacks swearing, violence and anything else that would get an R rating, but it deals with some very serious issues that might be hard for little kids to watch. Unfortunately, the movie totally looses it in the end. The adults begin to act so irrationally and stupid, it becomes painful to watch. Serious, the ending is so incredibly dumb, it retroactively ruins everything leading up to it. Honestly, I wish 20 minutes before the end, my Blu-ray player had caught on fire and melted the disc. I'd have a much more positive opinion of this movie had I not watched it to the end.

I watched a version of this film that had a more explosive interaction at the end between TS' parents and the predatory talk show host (the original European release) . This film was edited so it could receive a PG rating by the MPAA. I am wondering why as it was playing on one screen in Los Angeles for its theatrical release 6 weeks ago, and I had to search the Internet weekly for almost a year to see it on the big screen. I wonder why they bothered as this movie is not a kid's film despite having a kid starring in it. It can't possibly be because they were searching for the widest possible audience because Weinstein sat on this thing for almost two years before "fixing" the ending and then gave it NO chance as far as promoting it.That being said, the basic story is still intact, the beautiful cinematography and Jean Jeaunet use of color correction and subtle digital effects make this a feast for the eyes if you love road/travel movies. The humor is quirky and very visual. Many say this film has made a departure from the director's usual style, but I see everything Jeunet about this film except the language and cast. Dominique Pinon makes his usual cameo appearance.The editing and re-tooling of the ending was criticized by Jeunet (who likes having their art messed with? Anyone?) and although I enjoyed every minute of of the original version, it seems like the Weinstein company went out of its' way to piss of the director and to add insult to injury, make sure only a handful of die hard Jeunet fans got to see it in 3D.At least Primers will get to see it but I encourage anyone in possession of the Euro release to please upload the cut scenes to YouTube so we Americans can see what the film should have been like.

This movie is "artsy" but not in a comfortable or cute way. There are some questionable scenes, especially one I had to blink at, where it appears the 10 year old boy is imitating bestiality. It was probably meant to go unnoticed or be "subtle", but these "suggestions" are noticed by Protectors of the Innocent. The themes are from the realm of pedophiles, perverts and psychopaths. This was like a turd in the pool & made up my mind for me: I will not suggest this movie for ANY children, even if they would not understand what an adult will discern.WHY movies such as this one are made to look innocent and then deliver inappropriate undertones is beyond me. It feels like a creepy type of grooming, from which all innocents must be guarded. All I can do is say it out loud, because I know I personally have tried to be careful what I feed to my kids as entertainment, and I would want someone to tell me!I mostly object on the grounds that themes are introduced in this movie under the warm, stylish, and nostalgic cover of slick cinematography and production. This is like drinking a milkshake with only ONE teaspoon of diarrhea in it. It is exactly what thinking people have come to despise about Hollywood.

This latest film from French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and 'Hugo' stereographer Demetri Portelli is an amazing thing to behold. It is based on the 2010 book "The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet" written by Reif Larsen.Jeunet intended for this film to be in 3D from get get-go, so every single frame of film is shot with 3D composition in mind. Captured with ARRI ALEXA Plus cameras, the visuals in this movie will leave you floored. It is, without a doubt, one of the finest 3D visual feasts ever offered up to the cinema. The rich color palate and use of HDR is absolutely striking. Portelli and Jeunet's framing, composition, use of floating frames, hyper and standard stereo is expertly executed. It is a MUST SEE for any 3D enthusiast.As for the story, 'Hugo,' which I would consider to be the next finest 3D film, has a much more solid story and fluidity. After watching Spivet, I started reading on-line reviews. It would seem that many critics could not decide if this film was a comedy or not. I would say that certainly, it isn't. I am not going to go into a full plot summary here as you can find that anywhere. What I found was the filmmaker trying to mix quirky whimsy with tragedy, and it left me with mixed feelings about how those two elements can mesh together to create understanding and satisfaction.The morality play is ultimately about death, how individual family members cope with loss, and the negative effects it can have on a marriage, sibling, and parental relationships. This is all framed around T.S. Spivet, a 10 year old boy genius who has invented the world's first perpetual motion machine, which he always reminds people, will only last for 400 years, so it's not technically perpetual. It has it's fun and cute moments, and the PG rating is accurate. Being a parent who has lost a child, I can say from experience that movies that try to tackle this subject often focus on the horrifically negative effects this can have on a family that eventually tears them apart. At least, in this film, the family learns to deal with their loss and move on as a cohesive unit, which was a refreshing thing to see for the first time on film.This movie was suppressed in US theaters because of an apparent editing feud between Jeunet and his distributor, the Weinsteins. It is a sad thing indeed. The movie ended up losing a great deal of money when it shouldn't have.It is available on 3 Blu Ray, but if you are looking for region 1 Blu ray, you have very few options. My copy is a Chinese import that I picked up on Amazon for $40 with shipping. It is in English as well as the titles, but there are Chinese titles too, which is no big deal. Someone gave me a link to a site in Australia what is selling it as a region 2 for $25AU and claims it will plays on region 1 also, but I went ahead and got the Chinese import.If you love stunning 3D visuals, you MUST see this film. I'm giving the 3D: 5 StarsFor the story, with it's quirky mix of whimsy and tragedy, and sometimes stilted dialog, I'd give it : 2 1/2 starsTo balance between the two ratings, I gave it 4 stars overall.

The Director of Amélie brings us a wonderful little tale about a young boy who thinks that his parents don't want him anymore. When he wins a prodigious award for one of his inventions he doesn't tell his parents, assuming that they wouldn't care anyway, and instead sets out on a journey to the Smithsonian to collect his prize alone. There is a lot more to it than that but I don't want to give spoilers.I've never read the book so I can't say how it compares to that but this film is very well written and directed, the young Kyle Catlett is a brilliant actor who really brings his character to life.It's also notable for having Helena Bonham Carter in a role in which she isn't being directed by her husband for a change, and she plays this role absolutely perfectly.Definitely worth a watch.

This is an offbeat film made by a French team in the USA with an all American cast. If you liked Home Alone you will like this one. The star is a 10-year old boy genius who invents a perpetual motion machine and hitches lifts across America to claim his prize in Washington. Entertaining and unusual.

This is not another Amelie but it is pleasant enough and has many of the characteristics that will appeal to fans of Jean Pierre Jeunet. Recommended.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet is one of my top 5 favorite novels, so imagine my surprise when I found out that it was made into a movie, The Young & Prodigious T.S. Spivet, with Jean-Pierre Jeunet as director (Amelie is in my top 3 movies) and I wasn't able to see it Stateside?! I managed to acquire a copy via Britain. And then I couldn't view it on any of the many media devices I have at home, but not to be discouraged, I popped it into my MacBook and changed the settings from North America to Europe and voila(!) I was finally able to watch this beautiful movie on my laptop. I hope to find a device to play it again on a bigger screen, but I am very happy that I was able to view it at all. Of course there were changes from book to movie, but it was still a poignant & gorgeous film.

I bought mine pre-used, it was very inexpensive and the quality was very good. A good buy considering it was an interesting and unique film.