The Present movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Present

This cute time-loop movie is now playing in select theaters, as well as on Fandango at Home.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 26 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

I love time-loop movies. This story is about a family on the verge of falling apart. The autistic son discovers he can manipulate time by using an old grandfather clock the family inherited. He teams up with his siblings to try to stop their parents from getting a divorce by going back in time.

My parents divorced when I was only 10 years old. It can be really rough on a kid while the family is in upheaval, but I can tell you it also impacts everyone involved for their entire lives.

The film was directed by Christian Ditter. Writing credits go to Jay Martel.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast is great and includes Isla Fisher, Greg Kinnear, Ryan Guzman, and Arturo Castro. The adorable kids are played by Shay Rudolph, Sam Wasylenko, and Mason Shea Joyce.
The musical score is magical.
We get an audio cameo of Barack Obama through the voice talents of Iman Crosson.
Have you ever had a beignet? It’s kind of like a fancy, square, powered-sugar donut. The first time I tried one was in New Orleans where they’re famous. Yum.
The movie did a great job illustrating that it takes work for a family to live happily together.
I like the title because it reminds us that we only have right here, right now to make the positive changes we want in our life.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There is really no clear explanation as to why the grandfather clock has magical powers to go back in time.
There also isn’t a clear reason why Mr. & Mrs. Diehl want to divorce. For example, there is no talk of infidelity but just a growing apart due to the typical busy life that so many married couples and families live nowadays.
Greg Kinnear is so funny and talented, so I wish his role had been written better to showcase how awesome he can be. I’ve never seen him in such a vanilla role before as this one.
There were quite a few loose ends that could have been worked into the final rolling credits at the very least.
I was expecting a wink in that final image.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Overall, the movie is family-friendly with kid shenanigans designed to preserve the family
Some profanity (sometimes spoken by kids)
Etch-A- Sketch is used in creative ways to communicate. I never could make anything decent with it.
We see a woman in her underwear
Kids vandalize a condo
A married couple talks about “taking a nap” together

THEMES:

Family
Time
Marriage and Divorce
Second changes
Rekindling romance

FUNNY LINES:

“Forget Mom and Dad. Let’s go to Vegas!” – Max Diehl (Mason Shea Joyce)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Do you ever think there’s a way back?” – Dad (Greg Kinnear)
“I want to stay with you and the kids. There’s no other home for me.” – Dad (Greg Kinnear)