In his first English language film since Alien: Resurrection in 1997, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is as enchanting, visually distinctive and anomalous as you could expect from the Amélie director. Adapted from Reif Larsen’s The Selected Works of T.S Spivet, it relates the whimsical escapades of the young Spivet, an academic prodigy with a deep adoration for science and an inherently adventurous spirit.
He lives on a ranch in Montana with his father, described as a cowboy born one hundred years too late, and his mother, Dr. Clair (Helena Bonham Carter) who harbors an obsession for the morphology of beetles. After inventing the perpetual motion machine and pretending to be much older than he is, Spivet is invited to a ceremony held in his honour at the Smithsonian Museum, where he is to be awarded the prestigious Baird prize. Without informing his parents, he leaves in the night, embarking on an odyssey across the country, freighthopping his way towards Washington D.C.
Jeunet’s aesthetic style is as evident as it is throughout all of his earlier work. A stunning colour palette, peculiar characters and countless little idiosyncrasies make his work incredibly distinctive and unique. A talking dog, trademark visual flourishes, and the presence of Dominique Pinon leave no doubt that you are watching a Jeunet film.
The first act is set exclusively on the ranch and is beautifully shot in a grand, sweeping way that harks back to some of John Ford’s work – it is also the film’s strongest section. Spivet’s father, a stoic cowboy wrapped up in the mythology of the Old West, is perfectly played by Callum Keith Rennie. Less convincing is Helena Bonham Carter, who grates in a role better suited to an actress who doesn’t constantly play quirky characters. Kyle Catlett stars as the titular T.S. Spivet in what is his first significant screen role, sharing some of the qualities of young Thomas Brodie-Sangster earlier in his career, and impressively carries the film.
It is when the action moves away from the ranch, initially on to the freight trains, and subsequently to Washington D.C that The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet starts to unravel. The plot becomes decidedly less interesting as the character progresses on his journey, and the goodwill established in the opening act slowly dwindles. For all Jeunet’s visual prowess, Spivet represents the biggest example yet of his career moving away from his interesting early work. A little whimsy goes quite a long way, but without a huge amount of substance it can quickly become irritating. Something is doubtlessly lost in the language transition; his earlier films (such as Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children and Amélie) all share the old-fashioned film quality of feeling from another world, with the French language only further helping to transport an English speaking audience. However, in English - and with Helena Bonham Carter - his work is immediately changed from unique to depressingly over-familiar.
Although The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is characteristically visually stunning, and features an exciting performance from young Kyle Catlett, it pales in comparison to the earlier work of a man once considered one of Europe’s most exciting visionaries.
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet will be shown at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 26 June 2014.
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet Trailer
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