The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet

'Amelie' Writer/director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s newest family-friendly (and English language) work, which will charm its audiences with a fairytale narrative, transformed by an unconventional cast and crew.

A madcap adventure for all ages, this film tells the story of a young, eccentric boy who embarks on a journey to collect a prize for his wonderful invention at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. 

There is something of the whimsical eccentricity of Jeunet’s  most famous film, Amélie (2001),  in this more recent offering, and his saturated aesthetic moulds perfectly to the family genre. Despite being in English, the film is undeniably European in the black comedy that underpins its main storyline. There are heavyweight actors involved, including Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech (2010); Alice in Wonderland (2010); Fight Club (1999))  who has once again managed to put her name to an unconventional success. Bonham Carter  plays the grieving mother of the 10-year-old cartographer at the centre of the story (played by a talented Kyle Catlett ) and her performance in particular lifts the film from the ordinary.

The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet combines heart and laughter for a feel-good riot. But don’t expect an hour and a half of children’s film clichés. Following on from critical hits like Disney’s Frozen (2013) and The Lego Movie (2014), it demonstrates that films ‘for families’ do not have to be tedious. We promise that both the young and the young at heart will leave the cinema grinning.