"The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet"

****
2013 * PG* 1h 45m
Quirky. That’s my term for a film genre I find so refreshing. Sure, Hollywood makes some great films. But I find them so predictable at times. Especially when it looks like the only thing they have to offer is sequels of hit movies and a seemingly endless supply of superhero adaptations. So I really look forward to the films of Hollywood outsiders like David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, and in this case the director Jean-Pierre Juenet. He’s been called the French Terry Gilliam and I can see why. I’m not into films that are weird just to be weird (like The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos, for example), I just like to see something different once in a while. 

 

Juenet is best known for films like Amelie, City of the Lost Children, and Micmacs. He’s taken his innate creativity and imagination and adapted the best-selling novel by Reif Larsen, “The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet” for the big screen. The result is an absolutely delightful, and yes, quirky little film. This is a movie I think kids of all ages will enjoy. 

 

The story is about a child-genius T.S. Spivet (Kyle Catlett), who lives with his offbeat family on a ranch in “The Big Sky Country” of Montana. Catlett does a brilliant job playing the precocious and nerdy young inventor. His dad (Callum Keith Rennie) is a good old-fashioned cowboy. His mom (Helena Bonham Carter) is an entomologist, and spends her time researching and documenting the bugs of the region. T.S. also has an older sister Gracie (Niamh Wilson) and a twin brother Layton (Jacob Davies), who died in a freak accident involving a firearm. The family doesn’t talk about his demise, and that’s an underlying theme in the movie. 

 

One day, T.S. receives a phone call from the Smithsonian Institute. He’s informed that his invention, a perpetual motion machine, has won the prestigious Baird Award and the organization would like him to come to Washington D.C. to receive the prize in person. Little do they know the inventor is merely 10-years old! So, as preposterous as it may sound, T.S. embarks on a solo cross-country adventure. He packs his bags and hops freight trains to reach his destination. 

 

The sets throughout this movie are just magical and border on the surreal. They’re brightly colored and look like something right out of a pop-up book. Interestingly, the pop-up book serves as a transitional device between chapters in the film. Adding to the charm of the visuals are diagrams, arrows, and charts when T.S. is explaining various concepts to us, the viewers. Of course, the boy genius runs into several interesting characters on his journey. Notably is an old salt, Two Clouds (Dominique Pinon), who loves to spin yarns. They all make for a memorable cross-country romp. 

 

When he finally gets to D.C., he’s taken under the wing of the Smithsonian’s director Ms. Jibsen (Judy Davis), who’s at first shocked that the inventor is actually a child. When she recovers from this unexpected surprise, she’s all about marketing the young lad, and arranges a series of talk show engagements, and promotional events. It’s at this point in the story when T.S. reveals more about his brothers death, and the entire family comes to terms with their loss. 

 

When doing a bit of research on Mr. Juenet, I noticed he has a new Netflix movie called Big Bug. I’ve only seen the previews, but it looks like an absolute riot. I look forward to seeing it! If you’re interested in some other offbeat directors, I suggest you check out the films of the Coen brothers, Jim Jarmusch, Taika Waititi, and Spike Jonze.

 

Currently streaming for free with your library card on Hoopla and Kanopy. Also free on Freevee and to rent on Prime Video.