The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet

Critics Consensus

The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet brings its bestselling source material beautifully to life, offering a blend of visual thrills and poignant pathos that help tie the film together despite an occasional surfeit of quirk.

76%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 50

70%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,668
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Movie Info

T.S. Spivet lives on a remote ranch in Montana with his parents, his sister Gracie and his brother Layton. A gifted child with a passion for science, he has invented a perpetual motion machine, for which he has been awarded the prestigious Baird Prize by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. He leaves a note for his family and hops a freight train to make his way across the United States and receive his prize. But no one there suspects that the lucky winner is a ten-year-old child with a very dark secret...

Cast

Kyle Catlett
as T. S. Spivet
Jakob Davies
as Layton
Niamh Wilson
as Gracie
Helena Bonham Carter
as Dr. Clair
Callum Keith Rennie
as Father
Judy Davis
as Jibsen
Rick Mercer
as Roy
Dominique Pinon
as Two Clouds
Julian Richings
as Ricky
Richard Jutras
as Mr. Stenpock
Mairtin O'Carrigan
as Speaker
Michel Perron
as Guard
Dawn Ford
as Waitress
Harry Standjofski
as Railway Cop
Susan Glover
as Cathy
Dylan Kingwell
as Young Boy
Felicia Shulman
as Jibsen's Secretary
Amy Sobol
as TV Show's Assistant
Pauline Little
as Make Up Artist
Brent Skagford
as Waiter
Lisa Bronwyn Moore
as Judy the Nurse
Pierre Yves Leblanc
as Doctor Richard
Gordon Masten
as Fast-Food Policeman
Kyle Gatehouse
as Student Butte Museum
Leni Parker
as Doctor Ferrano
James Bradford
as The President Of The Smithsonian
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Critic Reviews for The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet

All Critics (50) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (12)

  • The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is the perfect 3D vehicle and Jeunet takes full advantage, offering a feast of amusing visual flourishes suited to the book's playfulness.

    Jan 1, 2016 | Full Review…

    Jay Weissberg

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • The quirky charm, visual wit and melancholy undertow of Reif Larsen's The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet translate joyously to the screen in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spite.

    Jan 1, 2016 | Full Review…

    Jonathan Holland

    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic

  • Even at its zippiest ... The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet is infused with a pervasive sense of melancholy and loss, with a family that seems as damaged as they are lovably quirky.

    Aug 6, 2015 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

    Jesse Hassenger

    AV Club
    Top Critic

  • Like cross-breeding a chihuahua with a Jack Russell, the result may be doubly cute, but also doubly annoying.

    Apr 10, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Liam Lacey

    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic

  • A challenging film that adults might enjoy but one that is likely to leave younger audiences bewildered.

    Apr 9, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Bruce DeMara

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • Adapted from a novel by Reif Larsen, The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is an embrace of the telling detail and the off-kilter, singular vision of a child.

    Oct 29, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

    Philippa Hawker

    The Age (Australia)
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet

  • Jul 15, 2014
    A visually gorgeous fable (even the 3D is amazing) that Jeunet really knew how to make entirely believable, but still it feels like a first draft with structural problems and in need of a better treatment. Besides, Catlett is pretty terrible at times, while only Carter and Davis stand out.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
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