Charles Herold (cherold) Directed in typically quirky fashion by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the movie tells the story of a brilliant child who runs away from home to accept an award from the Smithsonian Institute. It's a movie that captures the weird mix of hope, alienation, and angst that is childhood.Beautifully shot in brilliant colors, the movie is a comedy with melancholy moments. It's kind of a kid's movie, but of the sort you get in France, which seems to consider children more sophisticated and complex than America (I'm with France on that). Which means it works quite well for adults.The movie does occasionally drag, and there was a point where my girlfriend and I independently wondered if that train trip would ever end, but for the most part, this is quite charming.

diggus doggus 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.

Pete-230 Jeunet must have really ticked someone off for this film to be treated so poorly. Granted, the shifts in tone might have posed a few marketing challenges, but nothing that couldn't be finessed. Like some of his other films, "Spivet" contrasts moments of whimsy and love with darker emotions, though in this case the latter are dialed back to keep it within family-friendly bounds. The title character is a prodigy, but he's not a smart-aleck or annoying, and the young actor plays his melancholy and homesickness convincingly. I was glad they didn't portray his journey as only a grand, exciting adventure - they made it clear that he was often lonely and scared, as a ten-year-old on his own would be. Cast is fine from top to bottom. Characters are brightly-defined but not cartoonish, and Jeunet keeps the actors at just the right balance between colorful and overbroad. Technically a marvel (and I didn't see it in 3D!) Ravishing photography, costumes, locations, and sets. Touching, lovely to look at, well played, well balanced. Just right to enjoy with your tweener or older who's beginning to sense the depth and complexity of the adult world around them.

summerloud all style no substance - this is how one could sum up this movie. the visual style in general and the colors in particular are awesome, and only serve to make the movies already splendid scenery even more impressive.however, there is no substance to be supported by these nice visuals. the story is neither realistic, nor funny, nor emotional, nor interesting. i had simply no idea what to do with this movie.furthermore, it suffers from the typical fate of child-centered movies: bad child actors, even though its hard to see how better actors could have helped, since all the characters in the movie are completely unrealistic 2d-stereotypes anywaysmaybe this is enjoyable in theaters for the visuals alone, but as a movie, and not a showpiece of color filters and nice scenery, it fails completely