A Masterpiece!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is without question the most unbelievably boring excuse for a film I've ever seen... It just keeps on going and going and going towards absolutely nowhere what so ever. I'm not gonna reveal as much as possible but I'll be tell you this much. Everything here is exactly as the description for the movie states. Teen wandering in to town and discovers art forging...TADAAA!!! THATS IT!! They just keep on dragging it out endlessly i an extremely pointless manner that'll literally be able to bore you to death. There is nothing happening here. When I saw the title I expected maybe something like magic or teen action or hell something!! BOY WAS I DISAPPOINTED!. I didn't read the description which I deeply regret but simple based my reason for watching this on the fact that it had an interesting name and a cool action looking poster. Epic fail in my face was what I got. There is no reason to watch this what so ever unless you enjoy the performance of the actors...thats it. You wont learn or simple take the tiniest thing away from this. It should have never been created. THis is a prime example of actors with too much time on their hands and not enough work, simply deciding to cash in on some piece of ...well... I usually don't have a problem with that since the movies of the past where typically watchable. THIS ONE IS NOT! It's so boring, so repetitive, so uninteresting, so pointless, so... without any reasonable concept justifying its very existence. Good god... This alleged writer should be so ashamed of himself. Its outrageously dull. It takes the meaning...the definition even of excruciatingly, mind blowingly, lazy stream lined dull story making to the next level. Stay away from this film. I haven't been specific on all that much of the content but thats because there isn't anything..as I said in the beginning. Teenager, homeless bum...town...art.. taking an interest....TADA!!! ooh yea and starting fights several times , freaking out and annoying everybody! Hutchersons character is profoundly annoying to follow. One of the most annoying and boring protagonists if you were to ask me. He has like the same immature, childish, brash type of behavior as Connor Kenway from Assassin's Creed 3 has and boy did I hate Connor. So cold, boring, pointless and SO NOT A HERO TYPE OF CHARACTER. He was more like an annoying side-kick that the audience can't wait for to die...thats hutchersons character here ..once again if you were to ask me. Filling in more of the blanks will result in a pointless and FAR too long walk-through of something without a freaking soul. Rios must have been on drugs or very drunk when writing this. No inspiration, innovation, imagination. It's a text-book build type of movie with some random main subject. Good guy...bad guy...conflict...helpers...objects... The plot I couldn't see through but thats because the film was literally making me fall asleep. This is my experience with this! my advice....STAY AWAY. STAY AWAY. If you like interesting movies this IS YOUR CRYPTONITE! Don't EXPOSE YOUR EYES OR YOUR MEMORY TO THIS GARBAGE. 2 out of 10. Its not the worst thing I've ever seen by far but it definitely makes it within the top 5 under the most boring and pointless section.Ultimate conclusion: Hazardous filthy horrible garbage excuse for a quality film that SO DOESN'T DESERVE A 5.1 that IS HELLBENT ON HURTING YOU! It will scar your mind with its badness! It will engrave its symbols of suckiness on every bit of your body! It will give you nightmares! THIS IS THE PLAGUE. BLACK DEATH FTW. stay the hell away. Don't you this to yourself and watch this dear viewer. Spare your eyes and your mind the pain. We saw this so that we could report to you what it really is SO THAT YOU Don't HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF.

I found this film to offer mostly stilted dialogue and terribly contrived plot elements as I felt it played like a made for TV movie.Josh Hutcherson stars as a 15 year old drifter and hustler but who has amazing artistic talent. Set in the affluent community of Carmel, California, he breaks into a house owned by an art dealer Everly Campbell, portrayed by the wonderful veteran actor Victor Molina. Wow! What a coincidence! Molina is really a dealer of forged art for high prices whose main forger has just died and he needs someone to finish forging a famous Winslow Homer painting which he can sell for millions. So with Hutcherson's talent he's of course the right man for the job.Down the road lives Anne Marie Cole. played by the legendary actress Lauren Bacall, who is a famous artist in her own right but has some secrets of her own.One of the major problems with the believability of the movie is that Hutcherson exhibits clear nearly uncontrollable impulse and anger controls, perhaps even bordering on being a sociopath. However, everyone seems to welcome into their homes, show him where their valuables are kept and have him even live there. Bacall especially, being rich, aged, and alone sees no problem in wanting him to live with her although she barely knows him. In the real world, this leads to usually serious consequences. Even a girl who lives in the town (Hayden Panettiere) wants to perhaps have a relationship with him, even after his anger had led to two serious physical confrontations with her own brother.The whole thing is just not credible and as mentioned way too contrived for me.

I found this one on Netflix streaming movies. It plays much like a Lifetime made for TV movie.Josh Hutcherson is Joshua, who never knew his dad and was abandoned by his mother. He ends up in Carmel on the Pacific Ocean, and trying to survive by hustling. He also happens to be a very talented artist.One day he meets Hayden Panettiere as Amber, when he sees her being hassled by a teacher and Joshua jumps the fence to protect her. Things develop between them, after a couple of rough starts. The most sinister character is Alfred Molina as Everly, an artist who lives beyond his means, and his dark secret is art forgery. When he recognized Joshua's talent, he offers him a home, but his motive is to make $$Millions with Joshua's talent.Even the venerable Lauren Bacall, pushing 90, has a role here as Anne-Marie, local art celebrity, who also takes an interest in Joshua. We could call this "all in the family" as Clint Eastwood's wife, Dina Eastwood as the social worker Vanessa has an critical role, as well as Clint's son, Scott Eastwood as Ryan . There is even a part for Hayden's brother, Jansen Panettiere as Aram .My comments are in no way knocking the choice of actors, Ron Howard used his whole family to fine effect in many of his movies. But this is just not a very good movie. The actors do a pretty good job with the script, but the story is pretty obvious and it ends about where you would expect it to.

Why would anybody with any sensibilities to the advancement of humanity and the nurturing of our youth invest money and time into this travesty? I saw Bacall, Molina and the Eastwood kids and I thought it might be OK, but no... it's drivel. The "kid" protagonist is a creepy brat thief who should garner no sympathy, but why the producers would want to engender that is reproachable. Besides all that, it's just a stinker script with no character development, bad over-lighting of scenes and worn out plot devices. And why does the punk kid deserve to get the girl? Is this really what we need to be saying in our media? Yes -it does matter. Did I say I wasn't wild about this flick...?