Mixed Results

Rating: 6/10 (19 July 2019)

Based on the novel by Markus Zusak, the story centres around a twelve-year-old German girl (Sophie Nélisse) who is taken in by middle-aged foster parents just before World War II. Her new parents (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) are poor like other families in the neighbourhood. They also go along with Nazi antics out of survival even though their hearts and actions go in the other direction despite the danger this could cause them.
"The Book Thief" is a German/American collaboration. It is mostly in English (substituting for German) with German spoken during Nazi anthems and speeches.
For the most part, this is a fine drama. It has a good heart; it is certainly well acted; and the production sets and music do a fine job in recreating another time and place - one that is very familiar to avid moviegoers.
There are weakness that lessen the film's overall effect, however. The part of the story that is referenced via the title seems a bit off and out of place at times. There is also a really absurd scene of a mother barging into a school classroom that seems to make no sense at all. While the musical score by John Williams is good, it tends to be used to lighten the otherwise difficult subject matter. Similarly, the film is narrated by a character known as Death. This might have worked well in the book; but in the film version, there are mixed results.
In being placed in the movie genre known as "Holocaust/World War II Drama", 'The Book Thief" is inevitably compared to some of the best films in history. It doesn't fully meet the difficult challenge though it does have its merits.