Rating of
3.5/4
What Family Movies Should Be
Unknown - wrote on 08/05/15
'The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet' is the best family movie I've seen in a long time. Based off of a novel, this story is a slight children's fantasy that holds one firm foot in the emotional reality of it's situations. The title character is a boy genius, but he is far from being presented as such the typical caricature. He acts as a perfectly normal kid outside of his intellectual passions. The simple plot of him running from home to accept a science award turns out to only be the framework and not the focus. His adventure isn't fantastical in the least. It's completely believable and his actions through it all are even more so. Despite being able to competently travel almost halfway cross-country solo, he still becomes scared and sad. And that's not just from the long trek. There's a strong emotional core to the film that revolves around a recent tragedy in the boy's life. He feels the exact way that most kids would when something of this nature shakes up their stable family life. Much time is devoted at the beginning to set all of this up. We get to know his whole family so well that investment comes naturally with ease. Through his trip we see him come to terms on his own and with his family. It's such a warmhearted finale that feels well deserved. Along the way there's also great humor, terrific visual exposition sequences, and beautifully bright and colorful landscapes. I found it to be a joy! This is the kind of movie I wish I had seen when I was a kid. If only all family movies were this great.
