O Garoto do Alabama

Afternoon Session version of two great dramas "Captain Fantástico" and "Sem Rastro" here the initial drama gives way to a children's adventure, filled with cuteness and chased by the bumbling villain, all very cute and fluffy to watch with the kids...

This film was exactly the type of film I guessed it would be from the trailer , a very simple family drama and there is nothing wrong with that , in fact I do like that sort of films for time to time. The story is pretty straightforward a kid living alone with his environmentalist father has to learn to go back to civilization once his dad dies of an infection of the leg. The kid goes into a jail for children were he makes his very first friends , bust out with them , fight the creepy sergeant who's always after him and learn to let go of the burden his late father had inflected upon him. All in all this film is pretty much 50 per cent drama and 50 per cent kids film, seriously , if it would have had the Disney logo attached to it , it would have been a perfect fit for the studio.The film is absolutely harmless.It shy away from how serious this peculiar subject could have been to favor more of a kids adventure format. There are scenes that are quite far fetched and the villain of the piece (Played by Ron Howard's brother) feels like he came out straight from a cartoon. At no time during that film I felt that something bad would happen to young Alabama and I just sat and enjoyed watching his journey unfold. It's not Oscar worthy by any stretch of the imagination, it's just a cute little film that you would have fun watching on a rainy day with your kids (whom I believe would love it). There are nice little touches like John Goodman (Always great to see him),the character of Kitt who's quite endearing and the young Jimmy Bennett who does a decent job as Alabama even if it's not as strong of a performance as the one he has given in "Trucker" ( By the way if you are really looking for a real serious drama who pulls no punches I would recommend this film instead). All I can say is I liked it , I don't think anyone who will watch this film will dislike it because there is nothing to dislike. The only problem I have with the film is the last 5 minutes is a bit much on the corny side and feels like it was taken from an episode of "The Waltons" but at the same time it fits the rest of the film. My Verdict : Kid friendly Drama that entertain without offering anything major to think about for adult viewers.Your kids (especially boys , will probably love it for it's adventure element) 6 out of 10.

This movie was one of those nice surprises you find, something totally unexpected!! Even had John Goodman which I didn't know till I started watching and I love some of his roles, this was one of those.Too it is one of those movies that can be watched by one of any age, family, or by yourself. For me I was looking for something while recooperating from hip replacement surgery and took a chance. Sometimes these films can be some of the best! Really had some surprises and not where I thought the story was headed. Story of a sheltered kid who had lived out most of his life in poverty with his Dad in the wild (actually a cave) after his Mom's passing. Actually they were living in a forest cave and growing their own food, kind of like "Captain Fantastic" if you have seen that movie- somewhat similar, but different! Plot simple to follow, but a nice enjoyable ride, with Cint Howard (Ron Howards brother) playing the role of the hick sheriff. If your looking for a movie on a rainy day or a boring day this is one that can fill the void and brighten your day! A nice ray of sunshine, just what I needed while convalescing!

This movie starts heavy and dark. I like that; it gets you into this dark theme of 1980 middle of nowhere alabama with lord of the flies overtones.

Well, sadly, maybe sadly maybe not depending how you look at it, the movie pivots very fast into this semi the goonies like script where it becomes a children's movie.

Now I do have a question that I am confident whoever wrote this production cannot answer either. And that question is why on earth did you start your movie like you did. Why do we have a graphic close up of bones sticking out of somebody's body... What exactly is the relevance of all that when you just toss out the door 10 minutes later and fully ignore it..

This movie smells like LEAVE NO TRACE, except that leave no trace was consistent and well done. It followed through. This here is really two movies that should not occupy the same script. You are either doing wild kid survivalist theme or kiddie adventure for sunday morning family viewing. You cannot have both at the same time.

The cast.. nothing special but they do their parts well enough. The characters... well nothing special either, except i have to say they copied the sheriff straight out of rambo first blood. It is so obvious and it sends me back to the confusion of the writing of this whole production. It has no clear direction of what it wants to be. It gets inspiration from random things here and there and just mashes them together.

There are also issues with follow through in general. Events are wrapped up quickly off screen with a brief mention by a character that XYZ occurred off screen.

The best done parts are the ones with john goodman. I don't want to spoil them but when you get to them you will see what I mean. Still does not solve the issues mentioned above and that unfortunate. But near the end when we forget most of the sins committed here, it flows well.

5\10 A weird approach to a childrens adventure movie.

I really enjoyed this film. Not a complex story, per se, but smart acting. Moon is such a great character, and the focus on friendship and human interaction, and love is great. Watch this.