The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet [Blu-ray]

I bought this movie because I love Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Micmacs" and wanted to see more from him. Although I have not read the book on which it is based, the film adaptation of "The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet" is at once a melancholy film in which a young boy genius must come to grips with the realities of life and death, but is also an uplifting and imaginative envisioning of a life of scientific genius and adventure dexterously filmed in beautiful scenes that flow together perfectly. Jeunet is a brilliant visual storyteller, and here his craft is finely polished: everything from the beautiful vistas of the American west to the animated links between scenes is absolutely flawlessly executed.I hesitate to reveal much of the plot, but I will say the entire cast does exceptionally well with their roles, although two of the main characters are intensely unlikeable (T. S.'s mother played by Helena Bonham Carter, and Judy Davis as a truly loathsome representative of the Smithsonian). It's worth singling out young Kyle Catlett who played T. S. for praise: rarely has a child actor been able to pull off such nuance and I expect him to have a shining career. Although filmed in Canada, the film is set on the Spivet farm in Butte, Montana, where T. S., his twin brother Layton (Jakob Davies), and self-absorbed sister Gracie (Niamh Wilson) are largely bored. Their mother is a kooky and annoying entomologist who is unable to use a toaster and their father (Callum Keith Rennie) is a strict cowboy who doesn't appreciate the brain T. S. has, but does appreciate Layton's skills with a gun. T. S. invents a perpetual motion machine and is invited to the Smithsonian as a guest of honor. He runs away from home and the adventure ensues. Ultimately T. S. has to face the crowd at the Smithsonian, and this was for me the only part of the film I didn't like. I didn't dislike it because of the dark turn the plot takes, but because I felt the entire scene was a tad too contrived and predictable, and Davis' characterization becomes almost too loathsome to tolerate; likewise the subsequent television interview ("This is better than science! This is cable TV!") had the parents make a surprise appearance and mom comes across as off-base and rambling, which given her obvious academic accomplishments seems dubious. Fortunately the father's grand entrance (and exit) more than make up for this too cloying section of the film and the movie wraps up on a strong note.The DVD contains three extras, two of which are largely about casting the film, and one of which concerns adapting Reif Larsen's story into the screenplay. They are all short and are worth watching. I liked this movie very much, largely because of the quality of acting and direction and the brilliant cinematography. Although there were a couple of places I felt the story slowed or allowed out of character developments, I still unreservedly recommend the movie, though be forewarned that some younger children may find its dark overtones to be difficult to deal with.

This is the story of a young inventor who wins a prize from the Smithsonian Institution. From a perpetual motion machine. Well, a start of one, anyway: it basically sucks energy out of magnets, and so goes, not forever, but for about 400 years.This poses a few problems: he lives on a ranch in northern Montana, which is to say, pretty much nowhere -- as his sister gripes about.Nice looking country, though.So the first problem is how to get to DC?When he gets to DC, he is appropriated by a PR nerd and things go on from there pretty much as you would expect. His parents, of course, do show up to take him home.This is a Jeunet film (think /Amelie/) and has little imaginative touches throughout.However, at the end of the day, it is a family drama about a runaway boy.And it is very well done.

*Mild spoilers* The only other person who has reviewed this clearly doesn't know anything about what they set out for in the Young and Prodigious Spivet. First of all, you have to realise that this is a film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet. His other credits include MicMacs, Delicatessen, A Very Long Engagement, and the ever so lovely Amelie. Jeunet's films play out as whimsical, quirky, nuanced pastries--they're delights, but focus more on detail and style rather than story. It's about the small moments over the big picture; the little asides that make us chuckle.This film is no exception the Jeunet's style. With his gorgeously saturated greens and yellows, Jeunet introduces us to the slightly over-polished version of a country farmhouse, intertwined with gorgeous train montages and ultimately ending up in the big city. The film follows child prodigy TS Spivet, who despite his genius, never asks for attention: people just assume that he is a know-it-all. In reality, TS just wants to invent, explore, and has a thirst for science that I hope many children these days will replicate.TS and his family live on a farm in Montanta--his sister, a talkative teenager; his mother, a entomologist; and his father, a cowboy. One day, the farmhouse gets a phone call from the Smithsonian Institute, telling TS that he won a prestigious award for his invention. Because of his young age, TS fears the scientific community at large would discredit his work, so he poses as his father over the telephone to tell the Smithsonian he would accept the award. The rest of the story starts here: TS's secret journey to Washington D.C. to give an acceptance speech.The film has and undercurrent of darkness and an air of sadness. We slowly get told the story of TS's brother, who died during one of TS's science experiments. TS has since been mostly ignored by his parents: the death of their child (in TS's mind, their FAVOURITE child) plays a toll on them both, and mother and father grow apart from not only their son, but from each other. TS carries the weight of his brother everywhere, and in those moments where he sees his brother's spirit on the train, in the museum, and out on the ranch, you can feel the looming sadness from the film. The darkness isn't introduced all at once: it lurks in the background for a long time, until finally TS reveals the story of his brother's death and how he feels it is his fault.While the movie may have sad moments, it's ultimately a tale of love and a story about family and how even though we may think we can do everything alone because we feel smart enough or big enough or wise enough, we all still need our family and friends to survive. Friends that sit in train cars with us and talk by the fire, friends who pick us up at our most vulnerable moments, even if it's just to get a ride in their truck. We all need someone, and I think TS Spivet does a good job of showing us a loving, if not slightly lost family, trying to pick up some broken pieces from their past.I sincerely hope they release this on Blu Ray in the States sometime soon. I'd very much like to have this film with the rest of my Jeunet films. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves French cinema, any of Jeunet's previous work, or just want to see a quirky movie about a little boy and a big adventure.

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.

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.

Very funny film, happy with product and highly recommend

Great film great story line