I love this movie so much

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This is a beautiful little art house film about an alcoholic father who has his son for a weekend - and they bond of a series of misadventures were they work as a team to get back the father's box of stolen tools. The father is played by the masterful Clive Owen - who is seemingly solid in any project he works on. The film has one great scene in particular - where Clive experiences alcohol withdrawals. As a recovering alcoholic myself - who has been clean five years - I have gone through withdrawals - and it is a harrowing experience and to see this played out live - and the fear it puts the child through - it really hit home to me.The performance of the children actors in this movie is also noteworthy - as they hold their own and deliver some masterful work. I believe this was a remake of a foreign film called The Bike Thief - but I have never seen that movie and I just thought this one was solid.We live in a world where Hollywood makes a fortune off terrible films that have no soul - and it is always great to see a solid dramatic film with great characters.

Clive Owen is so handsome and an excellent actor who needs to be seen more on screen and TV. Equally as significant and talented is the youthful 8 year-old who played Anthony;keep an eye on this kid. As it progresses, the characters flesh out revealing the father's desire to stay close to his son while battling unemployment, alcohol, mean people. All the kids in this movie are accomplished at their craft and endearing demonstrating what life is like for so many kids today while they walk that unpredictable line between parent's weakness vs desire to be loving to their kids.THIS is a MUST SEE MOVIE that stays with the viewer through subtle plot and good acting.

One reviewer has insight-fully recognized this film as a remake of the Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio de Sica. I'm impressed by his insight but not by his judgment.You see, even a bleak copy of the Bicycle Thieves will make a good film as long as there is still a scene in it resembling the slapping scene at the end of the Bicycle Thieves and there is such a scene but my impressing reviewer missed it because it is not as broadly laid out as the mentioned scene in the original but very touching and thoughtful nevertheless.In this scene the father does not get slapped. On the contrary, he is slapping somebody else but in the midst of this slapping he is interrupted and made to realize that the thief that he is slapping is a family man just like himself, driven to desperation by poverty and he cannot go on slapping the man and instead he forgives him. This is great Cinema and makes this film a worthy remake of the Bicycle Thieves and its end scene.Hats off.

Walt, (Clive Owen) a recovering alcoholic, has his 8-year old son, Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher) for the weekend while his mother, Bonnie, (Maria Bello) and stepfather go away to a religious retreat. When Walt's specialized finishing tools are stolen he and Anthony get to know each other better trying to get back those tools that Walt desperately needs for his next job on Monday.This opens with Anthony in the Confessional Box and he cannot come up with any sins for the past 8-weeks. The Priest - almost at wits end - tries his best to help jog Anthony's memory but nothing surfaces. Anthony is undecided whether or not he should do his Confirmation. We see some unfortunate things happen to Walt that Anthony is surprised at but comes to understand that Walt is really a good person who is trying to do the right thing. We see Walt almost give in to alcohol, but Anthony becomes the adult and thwarts the attempt. Walt suspects Anthony but never lets him know it. Walt is always the good father, but acts more like a good friend and because of this Anthony gains new respect for him. Walt's friend Otto (Robert Forster) explains to Anthony what withdrawal symptoms are when Walt scares Anthony who thought his father was very drunk. It is possible that an adult Alien from outer space came to Earth and inhabited Jaeden as Anthony as we see him act more like an adult than an 8-year old. It's either that or Jaeden Lieberher is more than really good, or it was the Director doing all this. Whatever this is, it works big time. The chemistry between Walt and Anthony is so good you don't care how long it will take to find those tools. The banter between them including fatherly advice about Confirmation and Anthony's acceptance of it is pure gold. The dialogues are sincere and honest. And we see humor injected at times. You never want this to end.Clive Owen is one of the best actors around, and should be considered to be the next Bond, James Bond. My next choice would be Jim Caviezel. Will Smith would be my third choice, but I digress…………………This almost closes with Anthony in the Confessional box again listing sin after sin to the same priest who is now besides himself listening to the many sins Anthony spouts. And this is just one day after his last Confession. I would list them but then I would give away many of the things that happened to both of them as they went about finding those tools. So you see, Anthony (or that Alien) wasn't all that innocent in this trek. This does close with Bonnie watching Walt and Anthony saying good-bye until the next week-end and she knows Anthony's Confirmation will happen and Walt will be there. This is a great family movie and you may wish there were more movies like this. (we can only hope) (10/10)Violence: Not really just a little scuffle at a Pawn shop. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Small stuff and not much of it.