The Odd Life of Jesus…eh, Timothy Green [MOVIE REVIEW]
The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Photo courtesy Disney.
After a movie is released, certain viewers will try and pin wacky artistic interpretation on some of the film’s symbols. For example, I’ve read works explaining that Ferris Beuller’s Day Off takes place entirely in Cameron’s head, and Ferris doesn’t actually exist. I’ve heard that Harry Potter is not the Chosen One destined to defeat Voldemort; it’s actually Neville Longbottom, his inept classmate. Some even claim that Obi-Won Kenobi from Star Wars is a clone. Despite thinking that these theories are insane and a little obsessive, I would like to present to you my case for why Timothy Green is Jesus Christ in his film, The Odd Life of Timothy Green.
NOTE: I am not particularly religious and am not criticizing the filmmakers for doing this. I believe that filmmakers have the right to make whatever movies they wish and it is their choice to work in religious symbols. The nature of the symbols did not affect my opinion of this movie.
The film is told in flashback format, as Jim and Cindy Green (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer
Garner) retell their story to an adoption agency employee. The first scene in their story shows us that Jim and Cindy are unable to conceive a child. Grief-stricken, they write down all of the qualities that they want in their child. Among them are “honest to a fault”, “love and be loved”, “sees the good in everything” and “dies for our sins”. Okay, the last one’s not true, but still. They take the paper upon which they wrote the qualities and put them in a box. They bury the box in the garden and agree to move on.
Later that night, the house is hit by a strong thunderstorm. As the storm ends, the rain begins falling upwards. Jim and Cindy are woken by a bump heard downstairs. They investigate and find a small, dirt-covered child playing with the objects they had bought for the baby they can never have. After the child declares that his name is Timothy (CJ Adams) and calls Jim and Cindy “Mom” and “Dad”, they accept their miracle (yes, they use the word miracle) and begin raising the child (A side note, this means that Timothy was born of Mother Earth, who is a known virgin. Just saying.).
The story takes place in the town of Stanleyville, which is rife with problems: The pencil factory that everyone works at is closing down, his parent’s bosses are jerks, and corporate America is tearing this small town apart. Is the power of Timothy’s love enough to save this small town from falling into total economic and moral bankruptcy, or will the bad guys win? I won’t spoil it, but keep in mind that this is a kid’s movie and the main character is Jesus.
Besides trying to cure a small town of its sins, Timothy also teaches Jim and Cindy some important lessons on how to be good parents and the meaning of family. He does this by being a somewhat difficult child to raise. Timothy is a strange child, who often turns to the sky and extends his arms to form a human cross. That noise you just heard was the sound of the filmmakers smashing you over the head with Jesus symbolism. Between the honesty and crucifixion pantomimes, Timothy becomes the target of bullies. To make matters worse, the bullies are the children of Jim’s boss. These trials and tribulations serve to test and improve Jim and Cindy as people. Can you think of anyone else who likes to test the faith of his followers?
All in all, I admired the movie’s weaving of the deeper messages, but can’t say that it’s necessarily a children’s movie. There are some deep moments and some tragic scenes, and the humor relies heavily on dialogue. While there isn’t anything in this movie that kids can’t handle, it might be over their heads. If you’re willing to go see this film on your own, go only if you like a more meaningful moviegoing experience. The artistic value greatly outweighs the entertainment value, and fortunately those are one and the same for me. If the same is true for you, go see The Odd Life of Timothy Green.