Wasted opportunity w/less than mediocre storytelling.

Rating: 4/10 (17 April 2009)

This was film I was looking forward to, but I found it to be extremely generic & plain boring. Granted there are lots of Holocaust movies just not usually from the point of view of a child. I have been told that the book is a fantastic read. I guess it was all lost in translation. One of my main complaints was how these characters are all cardboard cutouts. I know David Thewlis & Vera Farmiga can act, but they are completely wasted having pretty much nothing to do. The adaptation from the book is done extremely poorly & the direction is really bland as well. Unfortunately this is the same director that did one of the worst movies ever made in "Blame it on the Bellboy." I don't know why but although this is barely 90 minutes long it still seemed extremely long. There are a lot better movies about this subject so skip this. Try watching the superbly done 5 part documentary/re-enactments (good re-enactments too) "Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution." You can get a lot more entertainment & learn something at the same time. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" however has nothing new to say.