Review of The Odd Life of Timothy Green #TimothyGreen

Academy Award®–nominated director/writer Peter Hedges (“Dan in Real Life,” What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”) brings enchantment to the screen with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” an inspiring, magical story about a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green will be in theaters August 15, 2012 but I was able to catch an early press screening of this charming movie a couple of weeks back. I don’t want to give too much away in my review and totally spoil it for everyone but this movie is a must-see, that much I can tell you. Family friendly movies don’t come along everyday, it’s difficult to head to the theaters as a family these days and watch a film as inspiring and magical as The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

Jim Green (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) are desperate for a child of their own. The Greens had tried to conceive for years to no avail. Jim and Cindy can’t help but feel like all hope is lost. As if not being able to conceive a child of their own was bad enough the factory where Jim works, also the lifeline of Stanleyville is days away from shutting down. In Jim and Cindy’s final attempt at closure they both decided one night to create a child of their own. Together, Jim and Cindy write every trait they would want their child to have, bury a box in their garden filled with small pieces of note paper. All of Jim and Cindy’s wishes for their perfect child come true the moment Timothy Green (CJ Adams) appears unexpectedly from their garden.

Jim: “Tonight, let’s have a kid.”
Cindy: “You heard what the doctor said. Give it up.”

Cindy: “54 girl names on the list and one boy, and it was.”
Cindy and Jim: “Timothy.”
Cindy: “Is he for us?”
Jim: “I’m getting that feeling.”

I love the scene where Cindy first notices Timothy’s leaves on his legs after bathing him for the first time. As you can imagine, Timothy was pretty dirty, after all, he did come from the garden.

Another of my favorite scenes from the movie is when Jim and Cindy drop Timothy off for his first day of school. I’m guilty of it, and I know many of you are as well. We want the best for our kids but we do tend to put a lot of pressure on them, most of the time we don’t even know we are doing it.

Jim: “Have a great day.”
Cindy: “That’s too much pressure.”
Jim: “Have the day you have.”

Jim and Cindy Green had no idea just how much of an impact Timothy would have on their lives and the lives of just about everyone he came in contact with during his short stay in Stanleyville. Timothy teaches everyone he meets that there is magic in everything, even people and small towns. Although Timothy is only around for a little while he leaves a lasting impression on the entire town of Stanleyville, especially The Greens.

I really enjoyed watching this movie, it not only inspired me but I left the theater thinking about the connections I make with people on a day-to-day basis. I quickly realized that you never know just how long you’ll have with someone, better to make the time you do have with them count? This movie is chock full of great life lessons, sometimes stopping to see the beauty in people and the things around you is important and necessary. You’ll leave the theater, as did I, with a smile on your face and a renewed vigor for life, family, community, love and the environment.

Make sure to keep up with The Odd Life of Timothy Green on Facebook & Twitter. Look for this magical movie to hit theaters August 15th.

Disclosure: I saw this movie free of charge in exchange for a review post.