Yesterday we had a rainy day and nothing special to do so it was a perfect day for a family movie. We sat down to watch The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Now Eva is five years old and most of her movie watching has been animated (except for her early obsession with Mary Poppins) and so we weren’t quite sure if she’d like the movie. She has seen commercials and when she saw the DVD she identified it right away. So, I figured it would a safe bet to give it a try.

I am SO GLAD that we watched this movie as a family!

The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a timeless movie that is a must watch for families. I’m not exaggerating here either, it was beautiful from start to finish and the cast was wonderful. From the opening shot of a beautiful town in the throes of a spectacular Fall to the moments of tenderness and triumph this movie delivered.

The story centers around a couple, Jim and Cindy Green played by Jennifer Garner (Alias) and Joel Edgerton (Warrior). They have tried every conceivable thing to get pregnant and were unsuccessful. On the night that they got their final no from the doctors they decide to write down everything that their perfect child would be like, the personality, the sense of humor even down to specific life moments. They take all of those scraps of paper and put them in a box and bury them in the garden, a funeral for their hopes and dreams of a child of their own. For anyone who has ever had difficulty in having a child that they so desperately longed for this movie will be a touchstone for those feelings. I know that I sobbed through it at different points but they were joyful tears because of how tender and loving this movie was.

Jim and Cindy are surprised by noises during the night and they awake to find Timothy in their house. The movies goes from there. We get to see two people trying to be the best possible parents that they can. They both have different and somewhat difficult backgrounds, there is a lot of pain there in each of their lives. Jim feels as if his own father was never there for him and he vows to be better than that to Timothy. Along the way he learns much more about himself and what it means to be a good father. Cindy has a sister who is perfect, and who says the most horrible things to Cindy. Cindy’s sister has no filter and she is so callous to Cindy. But all family ties in the movie are not strained, there is Cindy’s Aunt and Uncle (Bub) who “practically” raised her. They are sweet and loving and Timothy takes to them right away. Timothy takes to everyone and is so open and honest that even when being faced with bullies he takes it in stride.

The performances of Timothy (CJ Adams) and a young girl that he is smitten with, Joni are so convincing and innocent that they will melt your heart. I loved their on screen time together.

After the movie we watched the extras and there I learned that Joel Edgerton was actually Australian, it was a little mind melty to hear him speak after just seeing him portray an average American guy so well. The DVD extras are a must watch especially the one about the music of the movie because honestly the music was a character onto itself.

The movie was wonderful, it is a great one to watch as a family. I look forward to watching it again.

And Eva liked the movie very much, she made this picture as we watched, it is of Timothy and his mom.

There are some special activities also that you can do with your family and also some great behind the scenes clips from the movie.

Clips

Jennifer and Joel’s On-Screen Relationship

Jennifer Gardner Going For It While Shooting “Low Rider” Scene

Director Peter Hedges’ Gift of Patience

FROM THE MAGICAL WORLD OF DISNEY COMES A FAMILY FILM WITH HEART, HUMOR AND FUN

Releases In Full Bloom For the Holidays on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, High Definition Digital & On-Demand, December 4, 2012

Burbank, Calif., October 10, 2012—Disney’s “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” one of the year’s most uplifting and enchanting family films, springs up on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, High Definition Digital and On-Demand platforms on December 4, 2012. It’s the perfect, must-own family-film for audiences of all ages to enjoy and snuggle up to this coming holiday season.

From Academy Award-nominated writer/director Peter Hedges (Dan in Real Life, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape), and starring Golden Globe® winner Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Oscar® winner Dianne Wiest and CJ Adams as Timothy Green, comes this highly imaginative story about a happily married couple who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. Then one stormy night young Timothy shows up on their doorstep. Soon they and the small town in which they live learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts. The story is written by Ahmet Zappa (“American Gangster,” “Changeling”).

“The Odd Life of Timothy Green” Blu-ray Combo Pack provides viewers with the chance to delve deeper into this captivating movie experience through never-before-seen bonus features, including the documentary “Family Roots: Bringing ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ to the Screen,” which looks at this unique family story and the creative team that brought it to life; “Glen Hansard: Behind ‘This Gift” – the Academy Award® winning songwriter tells how he and Marketa Irglova crafted the moving end-credits song; “This Gift” Music Video by Glen Hansard; Five all-new deleted scenes; and a director audio-commentary.

Disclosure: We received a copy of The Odd Life of Timothy Green on Blu-ray to watch and review. Opinions about the movie are 100% my own.