Bringing Up Bobby

Was quite astonished to see the low score for this here on IMDb. That's not deserved. I found the film refreshing and fun, if you're able to appreciate a film that doesn't take itself to serious.

I loved the light tone and the vibrant colorful style of the movie. It looks like Moonrise Kingdom, and I found it better. The colorful filters make this eye candy. Some scenes are like a painting.

Milla Jovovich is a easy-go-lucky mother Olive, mostly on the wrong side of the law. The adores her 11 year old son Bobby (Spencer List) but eventually her past catches up with her. Young Spencer List is impressive and charming in his role.

The film, directed by Famke Janssen, has a fairy tale touch, and even th sad parts has a light touch. Ordinarily I'm not too fond of this style, but I found this refreshing and entertaining. It's different, and it's also unpredictable, which is a good thing when you've seen a lot of movies.

I really feel the bashing of this tiny story, which is about the love between a mother and her son, is not fair. It's without real sadness, and unnecessary violence, and all Niall hopeful and quite believable. It's such a relief to watch a movie where you don't have to fear bad things happening. A feel-good gem!

Synopsis looked promising. But fell terribly flat of all expectations. We only watched it to the end hoping for something redeeming. Listed as a comedy, but not one thing comically amusing. It had the potential to be a realistic touching and poignant movie of a failing mother having to make a choice between staying with her son, or letting foster parents raise him. But her failings are so over the top as to be unbelievable. This can be acceptable if it was farcically funny... but it is not... just painful in the way that she raises her son in a way that he can do no wrong even though that is all he does is wrong. The mother's accent is so fake that I thought it was part of her shtick. The actress, though born in Kiev does not have an accent in interviews, so had to create this one, but it just does not ring true. This is about as low as I'd rate any movie that I watched all the way through.

"I just don't want Bobby to end up like me and you." Olive (Jovovich) is a single mother/con-artist who is trying her best to raise her son Bobby as best as she can. Bobby starts to act up in class but Olive doesn't see anything wrong with what Bobby does. When a freak accident causes Kent (Pullman) to come into their lives Bobby has a chance at a better life, but Olive has a choice to make. This is not a bad movie at all but it is another movie that has a lot of heart but really nothing else. It's not a total nothing movie because there is a plot but it has the feel of a movie that is just made in order to spend money. I'm not saying that this is a bad movie because I did enjoy it and it was a decent watch, but don't expect anything that will make you think. There really is nothing else to say about this other then that. Overall, a decent watch but nothing amazing. I give it a B-.

I saw this movie in Savannah at the Film Festival. I really enjoyed this movie from start to finish. After the movie the Director did a Q&A which answered the few problems I had to the film which I can be forgiving for. It starts out with a foreign feel with lots of natural lighting and some poor sound clips taking the performance away from the actors. But as the movie progresses and you build a relationship with the characters the movie gets more and more precious. The director was very fortunate to have the actors and actresses to work with for her first film as a director. Milla's performance really is outstanding throughout telling you the story of her travels and struggles to win her boy back.

(2012) Bringing Up Bobby DRAMA

Co-written and directed by actress Famke Janson, starring Milla Jovovich as single mother, Olive an Ukrainian woman who's trying to raise her 11 year old son Bobby right, who she'll probably won't get any 'mother of the year' awards, since she lies, cheats and steals during her stay as an American citizen. And because the movie is about 11 year old Bobby, it shows him to be a total douche as both their worlds come for the turn for the worst as she gets arrested. Resorting her to give up custody toward a wealthy couple of Kent (Bill Pullman) and Mary (Marcia Cross), who has coincidentally had just lost their own son. And once Olive is let out, her son, Bobby resorts back to his bad behavior again. Strictly-by-the-book plot with nothing people can't come up with by themselves. And I also have to say that it's hard to sympathize with characters who initially act like a couple of self indulgent douches.