Never mind the story, enjoy the view of The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet
REVIEW: The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is a spectacular showcase for the visual flair of Ameliedirector Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Leigh Paatsch
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The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (M)
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet(The City of Lost Children)
Starring: Kyle Catlett, Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis, Niamh Wilson.
Rating : ***
A colourful, quirky, yet wistful tale of one of America’s finest scientific minds does not sound all that promising, does it?
But what if that unprecedented genius was lodged inside the head of a 10-year-old boy? Yep, that’ll do nicely.
A primary-school Einstein named T.S. Spivet (Kyle Catlett) lives on a small farm with a family he thinks the world of.
There’s just one problem. Following a tragic incident that no-one may mention openly, the Spivet family rarely thinks of T.S. very much at all.
This boundlessly creative child channels all that neglect into developing his intellect. Which is why TS can design and manufacture contraptions like a perpetual-motion motor that actually works.
So when the prestigious Smithsonian Institution decide to award their highest prize in the field of scientific research to TS, the kid figures no-one will miss him if takes off on his own to attend the ceremony.
What follows is an epic odyssey by campervan, train and foot which will take young TS all the way from the open prairies of Montana to the big smoke of Chicago.
The famously flamboyant and creative French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet is in inspired form with the visual design of this movie.
In fact, not since the classic Amelie has Jeunet gone out of his way to dazzle the senses with imagery almost impossible to process as a viewer, let alone describe.
If the film does have one undeniable shortcoming, it is that the bittersweet story of TS can often be forgotten temporarily when that picturesque magic is unfolding all over the screen. (If you can grab a ticket to the 3D version, that would only add to the experience on offer here.)
Also grand to see one of Australia’s finest acting talents, Judy Davis, come to the fore in the final act as a coarse diva from the Smithsonian who doesn’t exactly welcome TS with open arms.
Originally published as Never mind the story, enjoy the view of The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet
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