Galloping into America’s heartland on a one-of-a-kind mechanical horse forged out materialized magical-realist fantasies, and wearing idiosyncratic boots drenched in saturated hues, French auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet hand-crafted an adorably bittersweet and disarmingly imaginative odyssey in his most recent feature. Adapted from Reif Larsen's debut novel, "The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet" is imprinted with the director's unmistakable stylistic signature and it's thematically in sync with most works in his singular oeuvre. His whimsical eye for composition, production design, and overall aesthetic are magnified by the use of 3D cinematography in a story that touches on the duality of American identity via a heartwarming title character.
There was no one between than T.S. Spivet to serve as Jeunet’s exploratory vehicle into the United States, and given the filmmaker’s incomparable track record of visually marvelous journeys, he has the ideal sensibilities for the task of turning the book’s pages into live-action wonders. T.S. (Kyle Catlett) is a 10-year-old prodigy living an isolated Midwestern ranch with his atypical family. Like the director's most widely beloved character, Amélie Poulain, T.S. also feels disconnected from his parents after a tragic accident that killed his dizygotic twin Layton (Jakob Davies).
Obsessed with discovering a rare insect known as the “tiger monk beetle,” his mother Dr. Claire (Helena Bonham Carter) is emotionally out of touch with the family and finds refuge in her possibly-purposeless search. Meanwhile, T.S.’s father (Callum Keith Rennie), a straight-faced macho cowboy, is even less expressive. He refuses to discuss the incident or reassure his remaining son that he shouldn't feel guilty. The boy’s sister, Gracie (Niamh Wilson), is also not a reliable a source of comfort,as she a teenager captivated by the appeal of beauty pageants regardless of how these objectify women - a fact that her mother constantly reiterates.
Finding practical uses for abstract scientific concepts is T.S.’s strength, yet his extraordinary intelligence also alienates him from his loved ones. Not only does he live near the town of Divide, Montana, but his whole existence is marked by a divisive duality that places him at the intersection between academic brilliance and the unassuming rural lifestyle. His brother Layton was a country boy like his father, and together they enjoyed shooting their rifles, riding horses, and working the land. Being T.S.’s interest the opposite of that and more in tune with his mother’s pursuits, he feels ostracized.
Instinctively, when the Smithsonian’s Baird Award comes calling after Tecumseh Sparrow - which is what T.S. stands for - designs the first-ever perpetual motion machine, the young inventor has to lie about his age to Ms. Jibsen (a deliciously evil Judy Davis), the museum’s fame-hungry representative. Without informing his clueless family, T.S. embarks on a cross-country voyage to claim the prestigious decoration. Carrying a suitcase full of essential research tools, the skeleton of a dead sparrow that is said to have been found on the floor when he was born, a teddy bear, and his mother’s diary, the young Spivet is ready to catch a train ride This is by far not a conventional children’s adventure.
By employing his masterful ability to embed detailed imagery into all elements within the frame, Jeunet transforms every person and landscape T.S. encounters in his trip into an opportunity to juxtapose two versions of America. There is an America that thrives on innovation and another one that prides itself in tradition. The tiny hero leaves behind endless grasslands for geometrically perfect skyscrapers but finds himself perpetually stuck between the place where he needs to go to fulfill his potential and the place he calls home.
Polarizing concepts are not only visible in T.S. complex personal struggle, but they are also reflected in the way the director handles the risky tone of the film. Moments that veer into sentimental territory are countered balance with dark undertones that might prove harsh for some viewers, but which are necessary to paint a sophisticated picture of childhood without relying on simplistic and Disney-approved conventions. Death is real, guns are dangerous objects, parents are imperfect beings, and those who dare to challenge the norm are often misunderstood. But for all its truthful blows, Jeunet’s film is always adorned with gleeful innocence. Even its occasional plot missteps are redeemed by the genuinely delightful protagonist and the filmmaker’s decision to stay true to his playful nature.
It took a while for Jean-Pierre Jeunet and 3D cinematography to come together, but now that it’s happen it’s clear this technology was created for his wildly inventive mind. As T.S. dishes out incredibly specific facts about his world, nature’s processes, or unbelievable discoveries, these come to life in the form of animated diagrams that are prime material for cleverly used 3D. Though “The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is as astonishingly beautiful in 2D, when watched through the stereoscopic viewers (the more technical denomination for 3D glasses that T.S. would probably use), the artist’s intention is even more spectacular. It’s a luscious visual delicacy with a vibrant color palette and endless surprises along the way.
Inspired and in full form, Jeunet’s eye-popping elegance is unforgettable, but it wouldn’t be as touching without the correct sparrow looking for his pine tree thousands of miles away. Catlett’s performance is endearing, offbeat, and without the slightest sign of cynicism. T.S. is not an improbably naïve caricature, but a compassionate kid troubled by burdens beyond his age. He feels guilty over his brother’s death and doesn’t believe his father will ever love as much. Those emotional turn him from an inapproachable erudite into a child in need of guidance not from books but his unconditional family.
As the eternally distracted Dr. Claire, Bonham Carter delivers a handful of high notes, as does the rest of the supporting cast. However, a standout cameo comes from Dominique Pinon. He makes an appearance as a drifter by the name of “Two Clouds," to relay some rudimentary knowledge to T.S. only to have his thoughts pragmatically dismantled by the boy genius. Their shared screen time is brief but truly noteworthy. Pinon is perhaps Jeunet's favorite thespian as he has appeared in every single one of his features to date.
Boundless originality within a familiar framework defines “The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet,” and while it will certainly be as schismatic as the notion is confronts, it’s certain to be a rewarding pleasure for those fascinated with the director’s unorthodox filmmaking approach. Heartfelt storytelling and precise technique can coexist, just as scientific achievements and rural wisdom are not mutually exclusive. Intellectual obscurity only occurs in the indiscriminate separation of the two. Jeunet wants to find that utopian balance in which even the most theoretical of concepts can be connected to the more preciously mundane and often irrational aspects of life. Under Jeunet’s brush even T.S.’s most impressive invention eventually serves a functional purpose that ties his passion for empirical knowledge to the inner strength of his untainted heart.
Early in the film a museum lecturer (Mairtin O'Carrigan) asks his audience, “Those who pushed the boundaries of science were they not all poets? What if imagination started when science ended?” He asks those questions to prove that though most innovations feel implausible at first, there is always someone with enough disregard for impossibility to pursue such ventures. The dreamer and the scientist are one and the same.That’s how one can understand a visionary like Jeunet, as one of cinema’s finest Da Vincis whose voice manages to make the cerebral and the visceral sing in unison.
"The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet" is now playing across the U.S.
There was no one between than T.S. Spivet to serve as Jeunet’s exploratory vehicle into the United States, and given the filmmaker’s incomparable track record of visually marvelous journeys, he has the ideal sensibilities for the task of turning the book’s pages into live-action wonders. T.S. (Kyle Catlett) is a 10-year-old prodigy living an isolated Midwestern ranch with his atypical family. Like the director's most widely beloved character, Amélie Poulain, T.S. also feels disconnected from his parents after a tragic accident that killed his dizygotic twin Layton (Jakob Davies).
Obsessed with discovering a rare insect known as the “tiger monk beetle,” his mother Dr. Claire (Helena Bonham Carter) is emotionally out of touch with the family and finds refuge in her possibly-purposeless search. Meanwhile, T.S.’s father (Callum Keith Rennie), a straight-faced macho cowboy, is even less expressive. He refuses to discuss the incident or reassure his remaining son that he shouldn't feel guilty. The boy’s sister, Gracie (Niamh Wilson), is also not a reliable a source of comfort,as she a teenager captivated by the appeal of beauty pageants regardless of how these objectify women - a fact that her mother constantly reiterates.
Finding practical uses for abstract scientific concepts is T.S.’s strength, yet his extraordinary intelligence also alienates him from his loved ones. Not only does he live near the town of Divide, Montana, but his whole existence is marked by a divisive duality that places him at the intersection between academic brilliance and the unassuming rural lifestyle. His brother Layton was a country boy like his father, and together they enjoyed shooting their rifles, riding horses, and working the land. Being T.S.’s interest the opposite of that and more in tune with his mother’s pursuits, he feels ostracized.
Instinctively, when the Smithsonian’s Baird Award comes calling after Tecumseh Sparrow - which is what T.S. stands for - designs the first-ever perpetual motion machine, the young inventor has to lie about his age to Ms. Jibsen (a deliciously evil Judy Davis), the museum’s fame-hungry representative. Without informing his clueless family, T.S. embarks on a cross-country voyage to claim the prestigious decoration. Carrying a suitcase full of essential research tools, the skeleton of a dead sparrow that is said to have been found on the floor when he was born, a teddy bear, and his mother’s diary, the young Spivet is ready to catch a train ride This is by far not a conventional children’s adventure.
By employing his masterful ability to embed detailed imagery into all elements within the frame, Jeunet transforms every person and landscape T.S. encounters in his trip into an opportunity to juxtapose two versions of America. There is an America that thrives on innovation and another one that prides itself in tradition. The tiny hero leaves behind endless grasslands for geometrically perfect skyscrapers but finds himself perpetually stuck between the place where he needs to go to fulfill his potential and the place he calls home.
Polarizing concepts are not only visible in T.S. complex personal struggle, but they are also reflected in the way the director handles the risky tone of the film. Moments that veer into sentimental territory are countered balance with dark undertones that might prove harsh for some viewers, but which are necessary to paint a sophisticated picture of childhood without relying on simplistic and Disney-approved conventions. Death is real, guns are dangerous objects, parents are imperfect beings, and those who dare to challenge the norm are often misunderstood. But for all its truthful blows, Jeunet’s film is always adorned with gleeful innocence. Even its occasional plot missteps are redeemed by the genuinely delightful protagonist and the filmmaker’s decision to stay true to his playful nature.
It took a while for Jean-Pierre Jeunet and 3D cinematography to come together, but now that it’s happen it’s clear this technology was created for his wildly inventive mind. As T.S. dishes out incredibly specific facts about his world, nature’s processes, or unbelievable discoveries, these come to life in the form of animated diagrams that are prime material for cleverly used 3D. Though “The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet” is as astonishingly beautiful in 2D, when watched through the stereoscopic viewers (the more technical denomination for 3D glasses that T.S. would probably use), the artist’s intention is even more spectacular. It’s a luscious visual delicacy with a vibrant color palette and endless surprises along the way.
Inspired and in full form, Jeunet’s eye-popping elegance is unforgettable, but it wouldn’t be as touching without the correct sparrow looking for his pine tree thousands of miles away. Catlett’s performance is endearing, offbeat, and without the slightest sign of cynicism. T.S. is not an improbably naïve caricature, but a compassionate kid troubled by burdens beyond his age. He feels guilty over his brother’s death and doesn’t believe his father will ever love as much. Those emotional turn him from an inapproachable erudite into a child in need of guidance not from books but his unconditional family.
As the eternally distracted Dr. Claire, Bonham Carter delivers a handful of high notes, as does the rest of the supporting cast. However, a standout cameo comes from Dominique Pinon. He makes an appearance as a drifter by the name of “Two Clouds," to relay some rudimentary knowledge to T.S. only to have his thoughts pragmatically dismantled by the boy genius. Their shared screen time is brief but truly noteworthy. Pinon is perhaps Jeunet's favorite thespian as he has appeared in every single one of his features to date.
Boundless originality within a familiar framework defines “The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet,” and while it will certainly be as schismatic as the notion is confronts, it’s certain to be a rewarding pleasure for those fascinated with the director’s unorthodox filmmaking approach. Heartfelt storytelling and precise technique can coexist, just as scientific achievements and rural wisdom are not mutually exclusive. Intellectual obscurity only occurs in the indiscriminate separation of the two. Jeunet wants to find that utopian balance in which even the most theoretical of concepts can be connected to the more preciously mundane and often irrational aspects of life. Under Jeunet’s brush even T.S.’s most impressive invention eventually serves a functional purpose that ties his passion for empirical knowledge to the inner strength of his untainted heart.
Early in the film a museum lecturer (Mairtin O'Carrigan) asks his audience, “Those who pushed the boundaries of science were they not all poets? What if imagination started when science ended?” He asks those questions to prove that though most innovations feel implausible at first, there is always someone with enough disregard for impossibility to pursue such ventures. The dreamer and the scientist are one and the same.That’s how one can understand a visionary like Jeunet, as one of cinema’s finest Da Vincis whose voice manages to make the cerebral and the visceral sing in unison.
"The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet" is now playing across the U.S.
- 8/4/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
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