Huievest
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Bergorks
If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
Hayleigh Joseph
This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.
Roberto Bellodi
Is this even supposed to exist? This movie does nothing but send terrible messages to people crazy about parenting with no qualifications to be by showing the terrible non-parenting of an even crazier couple. It's already bad when you don't even file the papers for adopting a child because "we'd rather tell you a long boring story about why you must give us a child even if through said story we'll show you only what kind of terrible people we are", plus you add a nonsensical story of a fake child-plant that grows up from a crazy couple that think is real, make them NEVER act like they even care about this discount Jesus that came out of nowhere, nagging and complaining about everything but what's to be complaining about, and never EVER questioning their horrible non-parenting? Who wrote this movie is absolutely insane and has no idea how to parenting. Just because you add that stupid pretentious wonder-like music doesn't mean your horrible screenplay becomes good, if anything makes it even worse. This movie isn't just horrible, it's a horrible movie that thinks is wonderful and charming. Well, guess what? It's not. It just sucks.
juneebuggy
I enjoyed this for the most part, the cast is very likable and the story was interesting but as the movie progressed it did become overly sentimental and a bit cliché. Its a sweet, family friendly movie though with a theme that forces the viewer to just go with it as it enters into fantasy land.Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play a couple struggling to conceive who are finally told by their doctor that it is not to be. Devastated they drink a bottle of wine and make a list of all the qualities their child would/might have had, and bury it in their garden as a form off moving on. That night their hopes & dreams give birth to a curious 10 year old boy who magically emerges from the mud. He immediately calls them mom and dad and they except him and the leaves mysteriously growing from his legs without question.The script is fairly thin after that but helped along by a cute CJ Adams as Timothy who does a great job. Garner and Edgerton also give their best as well as David Morse as the over achieving grandpa, Common (?!) as the soccer coach and Ron Livingston as a sort of bad guy at the pencil factory. Its definitely a feel good movie with a fairytale style story. Its sweet interesting, and tugs at your heart strings but in a very obvious way. 12/13/15
tcrawley8
The problem with the film is that the parents of Timothy are god awful. Jennifer Gardner and Joel Edgerton are very talented actors. But the script they were given was really bad. The whole film is them living through Timothy. The parents hardly ever ask how Timothy feels. They basically force him to do a Music recital. They force him to join a soccer/football team. The only point of these scenes is so the parents can show off. Joel Edgerton shows of to his father when Timothy is in the soccer/football game. Jennifer Gardner shows off to her sister at the music recital. By the way the music recital scene is one of the cringiest things ever put to film. The worst part of the movie is at the end when they say they will make "better mistakes" after trying to convince a adoption agency to allow them to adopt. You don't make "better mistakes" you make mistakes and you learn from them. They also have a love interest for Timothy, but the parents for some unexplained reason dislike her and tell him to get away from her. However I do acknowledge how much the actors are trying their best with the script they've been given.At no point do they look like their phoning it in. Also the scene were they say goodbye to Timothy is quite heartwarming . The actor who plays Timothy (CJ Adams) is surprisingly good as well but the character was a bit too underwritten for you to care what happened to him. But the film struggle's to get the message it's trying to convey across. It's one of those you come away from a bit confused to what the message was about. It's not terrible but it's not good enough for me to recommended it to someone. A good premise but poor delivery.
Sally Warner
I loved this movie. Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner make a wonderful set of parents. I love both of them on any day and as enthusiastic and lovable parents they are fantastic. A lovely and moving fairy tale a sort of Cinderella in reverse. Sympathetic moving and lovable. I like Benjamin Button and this is sort of like it. The child is sympathetic and has a great future as an actor - he played the role really well. I just love slice of life movies and this is a good one. Joel Edgerton is a wonderful Australian actor serious but full of enthusiasm and good will. (See The Secret Life of Us if you want to know why). Jennifer Garner is 13 going on 30 all over again - gentle and honest. I just love it.