Film Review: "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made" (2020).

"Small detective. Big imagination." This is Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. This comedy film directed by Tom McCarthy, adapted by McCarthy and Stephan Pastis and based on the book series of the same name by Pastis. The film follows the hilarious exploits of our quirky, deadpan hero, Timmy Failure, who, along with his fifteen-hundred pound polar bear partner Total, operates Total Failure Inc., a Portland detective agency.

In late April 2017, it was reported that McCarthy was in talks to direct an adaptation of Pastis' novel for Walt Disney Pictures. McCarthy was expected to pen the adaptation with Pastis. By late June, Ophelia Lovibond, Wallace Shawn, Craig Robinson and Winslow Fegley were cast. At the same time, with a budget of $42 million, principal photography commenced and wrapped in mid September. Filming took place in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In early February 2018, it was announced that the film would premiere on Disney+.

The film stars Lovibond, Shawn, Robinson and Fegley, in the title role. Fegley is an absolute delight as the titular character and it's a shame he most likely won't be allowed to return to the role.

Ineffectual, irrelevant and amateurishly conceived from start to finish, this movie is so bad it could kill off Timmy Failure forever. The film is just barely entertaining and engaging enough to earn a recommendation for its target audience of young girls. For a book series that has been so prolific and so popular over the decades, one might expect more screen adaptations. This adaptation points to a possible reason why: The stories are rather thin. While most of the acting here is unexceptional and the direction/editing often reflects odd choices, the movie's intended demographic of adolescent and teenage boys will likely not care. The film ultimately fails to introduce the younger members of its audience to the pleasures of movie detective. Clearly made by people who have thought through the material and tried to make it enjoyable and palatable, but the set-up at the end for further sequels feels a little too hopeful. It remains true to the character's fearless, vivacious spirit while spinning a solid, engaging mystery with a palpable sense of youthful energy. A below mediocre adaptation of the popular novel that is nonetheless served well by the child lead, but all representative of the adults world are narrow, standard-issue constructions. The film doesn't live up to its promise as a movie that could have had a lot of fun exploiting the ingenuity-themed construct. There's a certain amateurish quality about the film, but it's more the TV-trained grownups behind the camera than the pint-sized thespians in front of it. There's dancing, and bubble blowing and bed bouncing that's entirely aimless and Timmy's neighborhood sleuthing becomes particularly pointless. While the well-loved novel was apparently about the admirable battle a kid must wage in order to become an artist in the face of peer disapproval, the movie seems to be about a mean-spirited tyke who has no scruples.

Simon says Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made receives:

Also, see my review for Spotlight.