New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Hollywood is a machine. Every week, every month and every year countless films are released into theatres and not every one is as successful as the studio heads would hope. Sometimes the publicity machine was askew, sometimes the movie targeted an odd demographic, sometimes the release was steamrolled by a much larger movie and occasionally the movie is flat out bad.

But Hollywood's loss is our gain. There is a veritable treasure trove of film out there that you may not have seen. I will be your guide to this veritable wilderness of unwatched film. It will be my job to steer you towards the action, adventure, drama and comedy that may have eluded you, and at the same time, steer you away from some truly unwatchable dreck.

Hopefully we'll stumble across some entertainment that may have slid under your radar. Wish us luck.

The Last Mimzy (2007)

Not too long ago, a friend of mine at work recommended this particular film to me. He said it was an amazing and inspiring film. He said his kids loved it. So I picked up a copy of this film and watched it.

I'm not entirely certain I picked up the right movie. I'm just not getting amazing and inspiring. For some reason I just didn't connect with this film at all, and I'm not entirely sure why.

The Last Mimzy stars Chris O'Neil as Noah Wilder, Rhianon Leigh Wryn as Emma Wilder, Timothy Hutton as David Wilder, Rainn Wilson as hippie dippy schoolteacher Larry White and Michael Clarke Duncan (cast improbably) as National Security Director Nathanial Broadman.

And no, I'm not saying Michael Clarke Duncan wouldn't make an awesome National Security Director, I'm saying that the guys that fills these roles tend to be pasty, short, fat guys who run on coffee and cigarettes surreptitiously smoked whenever possible. They're not seven-foot-tall muscle-bound freight trains who look like they could snap Osama Bin Laden in half, which is pretty much how just about everybody would describe Michael Clarke Duncan.

In reality, that may have been my primary issue with the film. Too many things in this film just did not ring true. This is a movie about two children that stumble across an artifact on a beach that bestows upon them fantastic knowledge and abilities, and with knowledge and abilities comes confidence and maturity.

Those things are nice, but unfortunately the children in this movie didn't feel like real kids. They got along too well and were far too rational with each other even before the artifact arrives. They're respectful of their parents and don't push any boundaries at all. Their parents are successful and easy going, although the father is played as a workaholic and the mother seems a bit lonely. It is what it is, and while it doesn't seem like the family is played as perfect, it pretty much is. Just about any family on the planet would like to have to deal with such mundane issues as Daddy having to work late hours to pay for the summer home or having a son that has little aptitude for sports.

The artifact itself is fairly unusual, and is also very inventive. It's an example of economy of engineering as every single thing that is packed into the case with the artifact gets used with it, and fragments of the case also get used to help power the artifact as well. It's clever how this was thought out, and it was one of the things I really liked about the movie.

The actors themselves do nice work in their roles, with nobody going over the top or being too ridiculous, although the children in the movie seem a little too mature. Rainn Wilson plays his teacher character quite capably, and he really is the kind of teacher you hope that your kids might get in the public school system if they are lucky. Michael Clarke Duncan also does a nice job in his role, playing what should have been a rather intimidating character with a sense of calm compassion and confusion as he tries to sort out the events that unfold in the movie. He also has one of the best lines in the movie as he watches reams of interviews from everybody who has come into contact with the artifact.

All in all, this is an interesting film. It's got a hokey premise that at some points is well thought out and at other times feels like it could have been better developed. The characters in this film are likable, but not memorable.

And that's the major issue I have with The Last Mimzy. This is a film that just doesn't make you feel like seeing it again. You won't hate it, but you won't think about it for long after you see it either. It's disposable, the cinematic version of a tissue.

If you're bored and looking for something for the kids to watch, you can pick this film up, it's safe and has a nice message. But if you're in the kids' aisle, you're most likely going to be looking at any number of excellent kids films, like WALL-E or Finding Nemo or even Kung Fu Panda. And if you can have any of those films, why would you settle for the Last Mimzy?