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Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

  • Starring: Cameron 'C.J.' Adams, Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton
  • Summary: The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a magical story about a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green, who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town own of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts. (Disney Pictures) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 29
  2. Negative: 3 out of 29
  1. Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Aug 15, 2012
    88
    Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton are appealing together as far from perfect parents, and CJ Adams has that ability of so many child actors to be pitch-perfect.
  2. Reviewed by: Amy Biancolli
    Aug 15, 2012
    75
    The kid is a charmer, the message is heartfelt - love your kids while you can - and, OK, the ending might jerk a few tears, even from a crank like me. OK, it did.
  3. Reviewed by: Helen O'Hara
    Apr 1, 2013
    60
    The midway point between "A.I." and "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid." It has quirky charm and a tender heart, but the treacly sentiment may become wearisome.
  4. Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Aug 14, 2012
    38
    Kids are too smart to fall for it, and any grown-up who thinks that The Odd Life of Timothy Green is funny or heartwarming has a head made out of cabbage.

See all 29 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. I LOVED this movie! It was a great family movie! It is funny and at the end it made me cry!! I totally recommand this movie, it is amazing! The actors did a fantastic job!! :] xox Collapse
  2. 8
    OMG... I was so surprised by this movie.. At the end I thought that this was just a joke, when he ' died ' xD. I had to cry ;) I am sure I would see it again.. maybe in a few days :P Expand
  3. man
    7
    This film and its concept may appear odd from the trailers and ads, but let me assure you, if you watch this movie for yourself, it's very touching and heartwarming. Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Gardner are simply wonderful as the two parents who make their dream of having a child come true. Watching this film really helped me look at life in a whole different aspect and how important family truly is. Filled with funny performances, and a touching ending. One of the better movies Disney has had to offer this year. Expand
  4. Jennifer Garner's movie career has been fairly sketchy. She has had her successes (Juno) but has accompanied them with a plethora of failures (Elektra, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past). She has done well with her TV career and I view Alias as one of my all time favorite shows but she hasn't been as prolific as some would have imagined. The Odd Life of Timothy Green unfortunately carries on the trend of disappointment but not because of Garner. When wannabe parents Jim (Joel Edgerton) and Cindy Green (Jennifer Garner) discover they cannot have children they decide to write their own fantasy child's characteristics and aspirations and wish for them (and to some extent, him) The next day, as if out of nowhere Timothy crawls from the ground outside their house with leaves growing out of his ankles. Jim and Cindy must take care of him while keeping his unique secret from the rest of town. Garner tries to tap into her character from Juno with another mother desperate for a child and she is just as good in this as she was in Juno giving the film a wealth of emotion right from the get go. The supernatural elements of this story work as they are never as important as the relationships between the characters. In fact the supernatural parts allow for some of the movies strongest moments, especially the end. The story by Ahmet Zappa (Son of Frank) is clever and also a bit childish. The film should bask in its childish tendencies but isn't allowed to because the film is filled with side stories that add context to the ending but aren't all that enjoyable. In fact the film should have spent a little more time having fun with its characters instead of providing meaning, some things are better left to the imagination. The film tries to tell too many stories. The film looks at small town life in America but it does so by introducing many side characters, none of which provide much fun to this family film except for Dianne Wiest's Bernice, a sullen museum owner, town grouch and wife of the local factory owner. The look at the disillusion of a small town in modern America thanks to the economic downturn is a courageous move for Disney but it never really rings true when it is juxtaposed with the supernatural plot and the overall tone of the film. In fact the film removes all tension from the story line at the beginning of the film thanks to an opening that reveals a little too much. Ultimately its a film that casts such a wide net in terms of story that it has to handle many topics and characters throughout the film so that nothing is looked at closely enough and most of the important themes like the relationship between fathers and sons are never fully fleshed out or realized making for a not unpleasant but empty experience. Expand

See all 13 User Reviews