Spivet marks director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s first foray into 3D, which is used effectively for the scenes set on the family farm in Montana, but like T.S’s wagon, it seems to get lost somewhere on the way, and by the time we arrive in Washington the effect all but discarded.

There is also a nice appearance by quirky Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon in one of the film’s more surreal scenes. It’s nice to see Judy Davis, who isn’t used nearly enough, plays the Smithsonian undersecretary, though her character takes an odd and unpleasant turn near the end. Newcomer Kyle Catlett carries the film well in what could have easily been an obnoxious performance from an insufferable child actor. Canuck favourite Callum Keith Rennie gives an understated performance as the father, and Helena Bonham Carter just keeps getting better with age. to accept the prize at a reception in his honour.

then sets out on his own, riding the rails to Washington D.C. Spivet meets the age-old challenge of inventing a perpetual motion machine and submits it to the Smithsonian museum, which earns him the prestigious Baird prize. We soon learn that much of their indifference to their son has been brought on by the recent death of his twin brother (think Gord’s parents in Stand By Me). His father, an introverted rancher, has little time for his son’s erudite pursuits, while his mother, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is too wrapped up in her own study of insects ( morphology of beetles to be exact) to recognize her son’s brilliance.

We quickly learn that his dreams aren’t that far fetched, as he is indeed a prodigy worthy of much attention that is not bestowed upon him. Spivet, a ten year old boy growing up on a farm in rural Montana with dreams of becoming a world famous scientist. Spivet by Reif Larsens, the story follows the adventures young yet remarkable T.S. It’s none of these things and at the same time it is all of them, while also being a strange bit of Americana shot in Alberta, Canada by French auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet.īased on the book The Selected Works of T.S.

The selected works of ts spivet movie