Little Boy

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some mature thematic material and violence.
Run Time: 100 Minutes
My Rating: 2.5/5
So today I saw Open Road Films' Little Boy starring Kevin James (CBS' King of Queens), David Henrie (Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place), Emily Watson (War Horse), Michael Rapaport (Hitch), Tom Wilkinson (Selma), and Jakob Salvati (ABC's Red Widow).  The film tells the story of Pepper Flynt Busbee, a young, little boy whose life gets turned upside-down when his dad is enlisted into the army during World War II.  As his dad is off fighting in the war, Pepper is faced with his own war when he is told that if he has enough faith he can bring his father home. While the methods that Pepper takes to bring his father home don't quite resonate well with everyone in his town, he has to show that even the unlikeliest of friends and having the faith of a mustard seed, can truly bring about miracles.
So, let me be the first to say, this was not the kind of show that I was expecting.  In the trailers it portrayed the film to be more about the kid trying to bring his father home, and though it does touch upon that, the film is more about how a family struggles when their loved one is at war.  The film also shows how in order to gain faith, we need to help others and do things that may be difficult for us, but are things that God would want us to do.  It is these values and these lessons that makes this film intriguing.  What the film wants to teach, it does well.  However, when it deviates from these teachings, that is where the film fails.  The thing that holds the film all together though is the young Jakob Salvati.  He carries a heavy burden in portraying Pepper Flynt Busbee, and he carries that burden perfectly.  He is the only reason why I continued watching this film.  He is absolutely amazing in the role and it it weren't for him, the film would fall apart pretty quickly.
Though Jakob Salvati is amazing in the film and the film's messages are inspiring, the film still has its flaws.  One of them being was the pace of the film.  It honestly felt like I was in the theater forever. For a film being just over an hour and a half, it sure felt like it was over two.  Another flaw that the film had was that it wasn't the story that was being represented during the trailers.  This was not the film that I was expecting, Though the film wasn't bad, it just was not what I was expecting.
Overall, the film was good, but not great.  I had a lot higher expectations for this film.  With that being said, if you like inspirational films, you will like this film.  It does teach some pretty powerful lessons and in the center of it has a lot of heart.  Like I said before Jakob Salvati gives a fantastic performance and that is reason enough to see it.  However, this film is not for everyone.

Thanks again for reading!! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!!