Zooey and Alec are a married couple who are trying to foster due to problems conceiving a child of their own. It is looking rather impossible until one day Eli a 7-year-old boy turns up on their doorstep and changes their lives forever.
This film has a story line much deeper than it first appears, it’s not just about a couple trying to foster a child. It all goes back to dealing with a big loss in their lives, this makes for some very emotional scenes. Eli really does help Zooey and Alec connect again and remember what it’s like to have fun.
Alec is struggling with his toy making business and with the recession it really doesn’t seem possible that he will be able to survive financially. But again with a little help from Eli everything seems to work out, he really is too good to be true. A fantastic performance from Maurice Cole as the boy who behaves so much older than 7, wearing a suit, shirt and tie all the time as well. This really does add to his cuteness from start to finish.
I really found myself getting lost in this film and wondered how everything was going to work out, it does have a sweet little twist at the end (which I will not spoil). I thought it was very heart warming and has to give people hope that no matter which situation you find yourself in, you can always find a way to battle through and keep your life going.
The only small problem I had with the film was the differences in accents from Toni Collette and Ioan Gruffudd. She sounded more Scottish and he sounded his native Welsh. Not a massive problem but it was noticeable at times. This had no real impact on the story but it is something that people in England will probably pick up on when watching this film.
Overall, a heartwarming film with plenty of different talking points about family life and children. I liked Richard E. Grant’s character Mr Potts who just seemed to say the right things at the right time and really tie everything together nicely.
