nigelmw
More attention should be paid to the words spoken by children. Now, they may be understandable to other children, and possibly their parents, but what about the rest of us? I'm English, my wife American and neither could make out what the young star was saying for the most part, same thing for his sister too. The story was good. It's just a shame that this important aspect of the film was ignored, or worse, not even considered a problem.
Que no me toque un alto delante
T. S. Spivet lives with his family in a ranch in the western US. It has a privileged mind, drowned by the rural life. One day he receives a call saying that one of his inventions have been awarded and embarks on a journey across the country only to collect the prize. The screenplay delivers a nice story. Of those epic tales featuring children. As often happens with films in which the lead is a boy, the young actor is fundamental. He achieves very good moments. The last movie of the Jeunet / Laurant duet (Amélie, Delicatessen, Eternal Love, etc.). A contemporary fable. The journey of a child crossing the country: nearly a fantastic and touching road movie; the story of an odyssey with magical touches from a mind like JP Jeunet. The film has a cinematography and directing that gives pleasure to the eye and carries the story very well. But I would have liked to see more things like the ones he dazzled us with in Amélie and Delicatessen. I got the impression of a sweetened Jeunet, Hollywoodized, off ... At times it even seems influenced by Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. Near the end, the movie goes off a little (total American moment).
Pete-230
Jeunet must have really ticked someone off for this film to be treated so poorly. Granted, the shifts in tone might have posed a few marketing challenges, but nothing that couldn't be finessed. Like some of his other films, "Spivet" contrasts moments of whimsy and love with darker emotions, though in this case the latter are dialed back to keep it within family-friendly bounds. The title character is a prodigy, but he's not a smart-aleck or annoying, and the young actor plays his melancholy and homesickness convincingly. I was glad they didn't portray his journey as only a grand, exciting adventure - they made it clear that he was often lonely and scared, as a ten-year-old on his own would be. Cast is fine from top to bottom. Characters are brightly-defined but not cartoonish, and Jeunet keeps the actors at just the right balance between colorful and overbroad. Technically a marvel (and I didn't see it in 3D!) Ravishing photography, costumes, locations, and sets. Touching, lovely to look at, well played, well balanced. Just right to enjoy with your tweener or older who's beginning to sense the depth and complexity of the adult world around them.
nando1301-1
This is a beautiful film, in many ways. It reminded me a lot of Amélie Poulain, Jeunet's big hit in the States. This time, however, his caricaturesque characters are not in faraway France, but rather right here in America. Perhaps this one reason why some people did not like the film: it is always easier to appreciate caricatures of others, rather than of yourself. And when the film touches on delicate subjects like giving guns to children and exploiting child talent for an adult's own fame and profit, it strikes a couple of nerves...Jeunet's style in this film also reminds me of Wes Anderson, especially in Grand Budapest Hotel and in Moonlight Kingdom. Was Jeunet the original inspiration for Anderson? Not sure who came first, but their storytelling style is similar. Granted, not everybody likes Anderson's films. I do, and I think that if you liked Grand Budapest Hotel you will probably enjoy T. S. Spivet as well.The cinematography is superb and the soundtrack also. The script moves along at a nice pace and keeps you rooting for the main character from beginning to end. The young kid is amazing! The interesting thing is that he was basically "playing himself"... in real life he is quite the prodigy, quite like the character in the story.And yes, Jeunet does prove that it is possible to use 3D technology to produce a film of better quality than toy-truck and super-hero garbage!However, be warned: this is not really a "family movie" in the sense of a typical Disney film. This is definitely a film for grownups, with many layers of profoundness in almost every scene. Not to be taken lightly. Your typical teen-age audience (or people with a teen-age mentality) will probably prefer the next Iron Dude flick.
AD
