Update: Official trailer and poster have arrived. The film is now also officially slotted for a August 15, 2012 release date. Also, note: the trailer will be playing in front of “The Help” this week if you want to understand the demo they’re going for.
Peter Hedges has the kind of back catalogue that could best be described as “patchy.” As a screenwriter, he penned the terrific “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?,” as well as getting credit on “About A Boy,” before making a decent directorial debut with “Pieces of April.” But he followed it with the misjudged comedy-drama “Dan In Real Life,” a film that finally answered the question that no one was asking: What would happen if Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook were an on-screen couple?
As such, we’ve been keeping a cautious eye on his latest film, the Disney fable “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” The project stars Jennifer Garner and rising Aussie star Joel Edgerton as a childless couple who bury all their wishes for what their child would be in their back garden, only to be greeted the next morning by a young boy who says that he’s their son. We like the leads, and there’s potential for something delicate and heartbreaking in the premise: with a first trailer arriving at weekend thanks to Trailer Addict, how’s it looking?
Not good, unfortunately. The Disney logo is front-and-center, suggesting it’s aiming for a younger audience than we suspected, but this looks like a sickly, “Simon Birch“-esque whimsy-fest of the worst kind at present. Maybe it’s just the marketing for the moment, but there’s not a lot to instill faith here, and Edgerton in particular looks kind of uncomfortable in the role. Still, the supporting cast, which includes Ron Livingston, Dianne Wiest and Rosemarie DeWitt, are strong, so there might be some cause for hope still.
Set for an August 2012 release date according to a recent USA Today profile, that highlighted one new photo with Garner, you can check it out and the trailer below.
Holy shit! August 2012?!
This is really the most nauseating trailer I\’ve ever seen, and I can\’t explain why. I think it has something to do with how many couples out there are heartbroken about not being able to have kids.
What if someone made a cancer pic where a couple\’s child was dying and they wrote a bunch of wishes on paper, buried them in the backyard and then their kid was healed? It feels really creepy and disrespectful.
I disagree about your analysis of \”Dan In Real Life\” though. It\’s no Oscar-winner, but it\’s a fine movie to watch when you\’re feeling bummed out.
Since both actors have movies being released in the coming months, next Spring 2012 when kids are on their hols seems like a better choice than August 2012. Just seems like too long of a wait. Who knows if Garner and Edgerton will even be relevant by then.
August is firmly the \”Julie & Julia,\” \”Eat Pray Love,\” \”The Help\” window that is now emerging every year. All the blockbusters are done and the always underserved Oprah crowd wants to watch a movie. Walt Disney is probably aiming squarely at that crowd.
Counter-programming is probably the decision behind releasing it in August, kids will still be on vacation and right now there probably isn\’t much of family-oriented movies scheduled for that time, so their hoping that this movie will fill a need. Both Garner and Edgerton have interesting movies coming out this year, Butter and The Warrior respectively. It will be interesting to see how those movies, which are definitely adult oriented play out this Fall. Butter in particular is rated R and features a very different Garner I hear, it premieres at the TIFF, I\’m very interested in that trailer.
I liked this better when it was called Little Otik, the boy was a tree stump and it fed on people.
The film\’s already in the can with a trailer to boot and it isn\’t being released until August 2012? That doesn\’t seem like a smart move esp. with Edgerton and Garner both having movies coming out in the next few months. Long time to wait to release a movie.
It\’s set for an August 2012 release according to the USA article, where both Peter Hedges and Jen Garner were interviewed about the movie. It is family movie, it\’s targeting parents and children which is why the trailer is so saccharine sweet, mothers will eat this up, at least that is what Disney is hoping for. I heard the screenplay is awesome, so don\’t right it off just yet after one trailer.