The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)

A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.

Director:

Peter Hedges

Writers:

Peter Hedges (screenplay), Ahmet Zappa (story)

Stars:

Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Garner	...	Cindy Green
Joel Edgerton	...	Jim Green
CJ Adams	...	Timothy Green
Odeya Rush	...	Joni Jerome
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Evette Onat
Rosemarie DeWitt	...	Brenda Best
David Morse	...	James Green, Sr.
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Uncle Bub
Lois Smith	...	Aunt Mel
Lin-Manuel Miranda	...	Reggie
Dianne Wiest	...	Ms. Bernice Crudstaff
Ron Livingston	...	Franklin Crudstaff
James Rebhorn	...	Joseph Crudstaff
Common	...	Coach Cal
Michael Arden	...	Doug Wert

Storyline

After receiving bad news from a fertility doctor, Cindy and Jim Green try to bury their dreams of having a child by writing out all the great traits their child would have and putting them in a box in the garden. During a freak storm in the middle of the night, they awake to find a boy named Timothy, with leaves growing from his ankles, standing in their kitchen calling them mom and dad. Cindy and Jim are thrown into the midst of parenthood and over the coming months, Timothy will teach them more than they could have imagined about being parents and raising a child, no matter how he comes into their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

told in flashback | soccer | dodgeball | portrait | young love | 

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Taglines:

He's a force of nature.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

La extraña vida de Timothy Green

Filming Locations:

Albany, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,822,903 (USA) (17 August 2012)

Gross:

$51,853,450 (USA) (11 January 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monsterfoot Productions, Scott Sanders Productions, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Cindy was offered to Sandra Bullock, who turned it down.

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Goofs

In the soccer championship, when Jim and Cindy are urging Timothy to move his feet, the same background actor is seen simultaneously behind the couple and behind Timothy. Later, when the game is over, the same background actor is seen behind Jim and Cindy and then celebrating on the other side of the field at the goal.

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Quotes

Timothy Green: Please don't ask about my leaves.

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Connections

Referenced in The Office: Moving On (2013)

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Soundtracks

"You're Gonna Find It Hard To Believe"
Written by Geoff Zanelli
Performed by Geoff Zanelli

User Reviews

This review makes me feel like an old curmudgeon

I like Peter Hedges' other films. I wish I could have liked this more. Its' heart and message are so in the right place, but it plays like a schmaltzy movie of the week. Jennifer Garner, whom I have really enjoyed in other roles, overplays this one and is very disappointing. The kid who plays Timothy is good enough. His young female friend Odeya Rush is the best in the cast. Joel Edgerton is perfect for Lifetime movie of the week. They are all really likable. So I just wished I liked the film more. And the message is terrific. I cry in schmaltzy films but I think it says much about this film in that the only time it brought any tears was in the final scene which was grounded in reality. When the fantasy was going I just wasn't sucked in.

7 may be a generous rating, but this is a solid family film with a strong positive message. There is a big audience out there for this film. I don't really want to discourage them from seeing it.