This sappy and ill-conceived tale about an architect, his autistic son and a lifesize toy bear suffers from sanctimonious religious messaging and dreadful dialogue
Anyone with autism or close to someone with the condition might feel inclined to be forbearing of this family drama about a father and his autistic son, given its plea for acceptance and love. But yikes – it is so sappy, ill-conceived and bloated with sanctimonious religious messaging, it is a slog to get through. If, however, you feel that watching it is almost an act of charity in itself (apparently some of the proceeds will go toward supporting carers), admire this at least for being one of the few feature films that tries to depict more challenged autistic people who need support (also known by the now-contested label of “low functioning”). Also to its credit, the film opens with a disclaimer that acknowledges that “the autism spectrum is wide and varied” and that “this film reflects the individual experiences of two characters and is not intended to represent every autistic story”.
The main character here is Elijah (played as a child by Reece Turley and then as an adult by Caleb Milby), a young man first met just after a violent meltdown that has ravaged the family’s Christmas decorations. Elijah’s father Ty (John Wells) attempts to comfort the distraught teen, with help from Elijah’s favourite stuffed toy, polar bear Nook. Flashforward seven years, and Elijah is now in some kind of secure hospital, barely distinguishable from a jail, partly because his mother Pam (Layla Cushman), divorced from Ty, just wants to offload him on the state and wash her hands of him while Ty struggles to maintain his career as an architect.
Signifying his descent into despair, Ty is contemplating suicide and now fantasises that he can see a lifesize version of Nook (basically an actor – Al Snow – in a plushie costume), a 12A version of Ted from the Seth MacFarlane franchise with no swearing or penis jokes. On the advice of Nook, Ty ends up taking Elijah for an unscheduled Christmas holiday to the South Carolina shore, much to the fury of Pam – although it seems what he’s doing isn’t strictly illegal.
While all that’s going on, benevolent Christian plutocrat Reggie Sinclair (Daniel Roebuck) is getting antsy about when Ty will finish the designs for the arena he’s commissioned. But when Reggie sees posts to Instagram by Elijah showing him and Ty on their mostly jolly road trip, Reggie melts, especially since he has an autistic son himself (Seth Phrampus).
Director Tyler Sansom and his team of screenwriters flail around trying to pull the storylines together, but still forget to create coherent reasons for characters to move from one situation to another. If we’re being honest, the dialogue is pretty dreadful, which only serves to highlight how weak the acting is – but its heart is in the right place.
Understanding what is happening in the Middle East is more important than ever
It’s the Guardian’s job to keep a close focus on events in the region for our global audience.
With reporters sharing live updates around the clock, we’re well-placed to provide comprehensive, fact-checked reporting and to help our audience understand every major development. But we can’t do it without your support.
We rely on the generosity of our readers, whose backing helps to keep our correspondents on the ground and our reporting free from commercial or political influence.
We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for news, but if you can, can we count on your support? Here are three good reasons to make the choice to fund us today:
1. Our quality, investigative journalism is a scrutinising force.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner dictating what we do – your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
Choosing to back us on a monthly basis makes the most impact, meaning we can continue to cover the story from every angle: the conflict, the plight of those affected and what it all means for the future of the region – and the wo