Product: Tim
Rating: 4.0
Light yet satisfying treatment of "Tim"
This movie loses some of the power of Colleen McCullough's novel by glossing over the lonely lives of the main characters prior to their relationship. It is by seeing Tim Melville, a bewildered child who longs to get in on the jokes at his expense, get mocked and kicked around by his workmates, and Mary Horton playing the prickly, aloof dragon lady at her office and taking solitary comfort in her carefully arranged life and material possessions, that we appreciate what a transformation each undergoes in the course of the story. Also, the actors cast do not match the physical appearances described in the novel (a matter on which I usually am not picky, but which does have some impact on the plotline in this case). Finally, the perky background music can be somewhat obnoxious and occasionally masks the dialogue in my copy.All of those complaints aside, this is an endearing, moving, and uplifting film with very good acting. Mel Gibson is excellent, projecting the essential sweetness, enthusiasm, and yearning of his character with his expressive eyes and irresistable grin in the necessary absence of eloquent dialogue. Piper Laurie could have been allowed to stretch a bit, to show the crotchety spinster she believed herself to be before getting to know Tim, but she is attractive, sympathetic and believable. The actors who played Tim's parents were particularly good. One could even argue that the choice to focus more on the dynamics of Mary and the family so dear to Tim allowed a more satisfying conclusion than that of the novel. I recommend this film to anyone who is interested in seeing Gibson's versatility in a lesser known role, admires Tom Hanks' performance in "Forrest Gump," or simply enjoys Australian film or light drama/romance.