Update: Official trailer and poster have arrived. The film is now also officially slotted for a August 15, 2012 release date. Also, note: the trailer will be playing in front of “The Help” this week if you want to understand the demo they’re going for.
Peter Hedges has the kind of back catalogue that could best be described as “patchy.” As a screenwriter, he penned the terrific “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?,” as well as getting credit on “About A Boy,” before making a decent directorial debut with “Pieces of April.” But he followed it with the misjudged comedy-drama “Dan In Real Life,” a film that finally answered the question that no one was asking: What would happen if Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook were an on-screen couple?
As such, we’ve been keeping a cautious eye on his latest film, the Disney fable “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” The project stars Jennifer Garner and rising Aussie star Joel Edgerton as a childless couple who bury all their wishes for what their child would be in their back garden, only to be greeted the next morning by a young boy who says that he’s their son. We like the leads, and there’s potential for something delicate and heartbreaking in the premise: with a first trailer arriving at weekend thanks to Trailer Addict, how’s it looking?
Not good, unfortunately. The Disney logo is front-and-center, suggesting it’s aiming for a younger audience than we suspected, but this looks like a sickly, “Simon Birch“-esque whimsy-fest of the worst kind at present. Maybe it’s just the marketing for the moment, but there’s not a lot to instill faith here, and Edgerton in particular looks kind of uncomfortable in the role. Still, the supporting cast, which includes Ron Livingston, Dianne Wiest and Rosemarie DeWitt, are strong, so there might be some cause for hope still.
Set for an August 2012 release date according to a recent USA Today profile, that highlighted one new photo with Garner, you can check it out and the trailer below.
