Disney once more brings the family together in this fantasy tear jerker about a couple desperately seeking to become parents and the child that comes into their lives. Directed and written by Peter Hedges (About a Boy) from a story by Ahmet Zappa (son of Frank), stars the perfect all American girl Jennifer Gardner and Australian actor Joel Edgerton as the earnest parents to be. Sweet, simple and chock full of small town goodness that doesn't blinks twice when a a young boy comes from their garden.
CJ Adams plays the 11 year old boy who arrives in their home one stormy night and he's got leaves on his legs. This was also the night that Cindy and Jim Green had resolved to give up their dreams of having a child by writing down their dreams for their ideal kid on slips of paper. They gather them in a box and bury it in their garden. They are awaken at night by claps of thunder and later find tracks of mud leading to the nursery. The boy they find calls them mom and dad as sure and natural as apple pie.
The Green's dive into their parenting overdrive right away first by having Timothy wear long socks to cover the leaves. They don't really explain to people how the kids suddenly arrived because everyone pretty much assumes he's adopted because they have been in the process for a long time. The young man is so innocent and unassuming that everyone is quickly enamoured with his charms. Cindy's over achieving sister Brenda (Rosemarie DeWitt) is the only one being a wet blanket. Then there is Jim's emotionally distant father who Jim is bound and determined not to be like that to his son.
The story involves besides the Greens learning to become parents without the learning curve of raising him from an infant, but also the crisis of the local town employer the Crudstaff Pencil Factory closing down. The Green's also deal with Timothy being bullied in school, joining the soccer team, and hanging out with a young lady who they don't think is appropriate for their child. Instead of trusting their kid, they are borderline over protective in their efforts of being worthy of being a parent. You will see some familiar faces populating this small town with M. Emmet Walsh as Uncle Bob and Lois Smith as Aunt Mel. Ron Livingston plays the dour factory owner son Franklin and Dianne Wiest as Ms. Crudstaff runs the musem where Cindy works. Shohreh Aghadashloo is the adoption agency worker who listens to the story of the Green's adventure This is a couple hanky movie that will tug at the heartstrings so blatantly and obviously but you probably won't mind.
(Review by reesa)
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