“You feel like you’re all alone here, but you’re not!” – Nate
Number of Times Seen – 1 (1 Feb 2018)
Brief Synopsis – After being home-schooled for years, a 10 year old boy with a facial disease starts going to a regular school.
My Take on it – This is a film that I’ve been wanting to see for quite some time and thankfully got to see it before the Oscars since I try to watch all of the nominated films before the show each year.
This film was only nominated for one award – Best Makeup and they do a wonderful job of it.
I suspect tho that it won’t have much of a chance to beat Darkest Hour (2017) in that category because in that film, they are able to transform Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill and making us constantly question whether we are watching the real Churchill in this role.
This film does an amazing job keeping things emotional as it explores the idea of the importance of being true to oneself no matter the situation.
That theme resonates throughout and I even teared up a few time when they bring the issue to the forefront.
The cast of this film is great but obviously the standout here is Jacob Tremblay who does a spectacular job as the lead here.
The young actors playing the other kids are also all enjoyable to watch because they are able to seem and act like real kids would in similar situations.
Mandy Patinkin is also great in a supporting role and steals every scene he is in.
This is a film with such a great message that resonates so well.
In addition, the use of varying perspectives works really well here in order to give us the full picture of everything going on in this story.
Bottom Line – Very emotional story about the importance of being true to yourself. The cast is great and Tremblay once again shows how great a young actor he can be. The rest of the kids are also great because they all come across acting like real kids would in these kinds of situations. This film has such a great message and it uses the idea of perspective really well. Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – RJ Palacio got the inspiration to write the book after taking her son out for ice cream, where they saw a child with Treacher Collins Syndrome. Her son cried at the sight of this boy. This story is used in a scene from the film, where Jack Will’s mother is reminding him why it’s important to make Auggie feel welcome. (From IMDB)
Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)
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MovieRob 
This movie was one of my favorites for 2017. Came in at #12 on my list (#2 on Honorable mentions after my Top 10). I knew almost nothing about it – and it affected me greatly (maybe as a parent) – I think I started tearing up around minute 8 and never stopped. I was lucky that the sweatshirt I wore had some tissues in the pocket. I’ve never read the book – so it all took me by surprise. I had one (minor) problem – but it was with a small plot point where something was set up – apparently to no purpose as there was never a payoff – and it had me on edge for no purpose (thinking a character was going to die…)
I agree about young Mr. Tremblay – who is a terrific actor. And although I am also a huge Mandy Patinkin fan – he was solid here but no standout (for me). I would though – mention the wonderful work done by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as Tremblay’s parents and also the actress who plays his older sister. All of them WERE standouts in this movie.
I wish it had received more Oscar recognition – for Tremblay (although if he was overlooked for his work in ROOM, I didn’t think highly of his chances here) and as adapted screenplay. But it was a crowded field this year, so I understand.
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