Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

not horrible nor great

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

10 year old T.S. Spivet lives on a remote Montana ranch. His father (Callum Keith Rennie) is an old fashion cowboy. His mother Dr. Clair (Helena Bonham Carter) has a rambling set of interests. His sister Gracie is eager to leave home where the only traffic comes from the passing trains. Ms. Jibsen (Judy Davis) from the Smithsonian calls to tell him that he won the prestigious Baird prize for a perpetual motion machine expecting an older scientist. He pretends to be speaking for his father and runs away to Washington D.C. riding the rails.Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed one of my favorite movies, Amélie. In that movie, he is able to use Paris' romanticism for his surreal touches. In this movie, he's a bit lost. He's out of his elements. The kid is fine but nothing more. The surreal touches remain. Sometimes it's fun like the fake RV family. Other times, it's out of place and really out of time. That ranch exists only in old movies. The brother is another issue that needs clarity earlier. It's not a thing to have a revelation. Jeunet's style of movie making needs a level of unreality which clashes with this story. At times, it makes this movie look cheap. I had higher hopes.

More attention should be paid to the words spoken by children. Now, they may be understandable to other children, and possibly their parents, but what about the rest of us? I'm English, my wife American and neither could make out what the young star was saying for the most part, same thing for his sister too. The story was good. It's just a shame that this important aspect of the film was ignored, or worse, not even considered a problem.

Let me make it clear, The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet is not a revolutionary film. It's still great and you should watch it.10-year old Tecumseh Sparrov Spivet is a young genius living on a ranch in Montana. His parents, entomologist (insect researcher) mother and rancher father don't think much of him, preferring his less smart but more cowboying-prone brother and his angsty teen sister.One day, TS sends to the Smithsonian Institute his schematic for a Perpetual Motion Engine, thus winning the Baird Prize. Now TS has to set off all on his own, to journey to Washington, of D.C., to receive his prize.Very easy script, everything else in this film is a joy to behold. The acting is very natural, the dialogue is excellent, the photography is stellar, direction is on point, the pacing is perfect, the characters are interesting, and while the script might be nothing revolutionary, everything is done so absolutely faultlessly, that you cannot fail to love this film.The film has moments of surrealism, but nothing stranger than the typical daydreamings we've all had when we were 10 years old. The story itself stay on track for the whole film, with the aforementioned perfect pacing. There are .. "emotional" moments, but nothing soppy or that drags on. This is very much a film about human existence, and yet it is successful in masquerading as the heroic adventures of a 10- year old kid.I recommend The Prodigious TS Spivet to everyone; aside from the top-notch cinematography, it has something for everyone, from the old to the very young.My vote: 8/10 - excellent film, superbly made.

This is a beautiful film, in many ways. It reminded me a lot of Amélie Poulain, Jeunet's big hit in the States. This time, however, his caricaturesque characters are not in faraway France, but rather right here in America. Perhaps this one reason why some people did not like the film: it is always easier to appreciate caricatures of others, rather than of yourself. And when the film touches on delicate subjects like giving guns to children and exploiting child talent for an adult's own fame and profit, it strikes a couple of nerves...Jeunet's style in this film also reminds me of Wes Anderson, especially in Grand Budapest Hotel and in Moonlight Kingdom. Was Jeunet the original inspiration for Anderson? Not sure who came first, but their storytelling style is similar. Granted, not everybody likes Anderson's films. I do, and I think that if you liked Grand Budapest Hotel you will probably enjoy T. S. Spivet as well.The cinematography is superb and the soundtrack also. The script moves along at a nice pace and keeps you rooting for the main character from beginning to end. The young kid is amazing! The interesting thing is that he was basically "playing himself"... in real life he is quite the prodigy, quite like the character in the story.And yes, Jeunet does prove that it is possible to use 3D technology to produce a film of better quality than toy-truck and super-hero garbage!However, be warned: this is not really a "family movie" in the sense of a typical Disney film. This is definitely a film for grownups, with many layers of profoundness in almost every scene. Not to be taken lightly. Your typical teen-age audience (or people with a teen-age mentality) will probably prefer the next Iron Dude flick.