I caught this movie on HBO while having a meal not long ago. Since “Phineas and Ferb” wasn’t on, I decided to watch the beginning of this movie, which seemed quite interesting, so I continued watching. It turned out to be the right decision.
The story goes like this: Odd Thomas, a chef working in a restaurant, has the ability to see spirits. His life was normal until the town got embroiled in a series of bizarre events, prompting him to start an investigation and save the world.
The plot may sound ordinary, but there are some charming aspects of this film that add to its appeal, primarily the following two points:
The Female Lead
The female lead, Stormy, is stunning, which is a huge plus. After watching, I googled the actress: Addison Timlin, born in 1991, only 23 years old! Looking at her previous works, I didn’t see anything I recognized or remembered, but perhaps she’ll have more notable roles in the future.
Although Stormy is a big plus, the main focus is actually her interaction with Odd. It’s one of the film’s highlights. Odd always stands up for others, and because he can see things others can’t, he’s viewed as an oddball (not in a derogatory way). But Stormy doesn’t seem to care about that at all. Whenever something happens, she encourages Odd to save the day, reminding him to be careful. The film is filled with this kind of old-married-couple understanding and consideration, without any of the typical “you’re too busy saving people to care about your girlfriend” drama like in Spider-Man.
Because of this, viewers can focus on watching Odd solve cases and enjoy the sweet moments between the couple, without worrying about them fighting or breaking up in the next scene (side-eyeing Spider-Man’s three movies full of break-up drama).
The Protagonist’s Popularity
As mentioned above, even though Odd seems strange (because he can see spirits), no one in the town mocks or bullies him. Everyone greets him warmly like old neighbors in a community, and they seek his advice when in trouble.
The level of trust Sheriff Wyatt (just mentioned the Green Goblin and he appears) has in Odd is truly surprising. In most movies, when a protagonist who can see ghosts discovers something amiss and reports it, they’re usually sent back. But in this film, when the protagonist reports to the police, the sheriff immediately dispatches help, saying, “I trust you because you’ve never been wrong.” Throughout the film, Odd never lets the sheriff down; every time he reports something, something happens, and every prediction comes true.
Watching a film where the sheriff completely trusts Odd from start to finish is truly satisfying! I’m so tired of the “what nonsense” trope that delays action until everything goes wrong before they start dealing with it.
Could it be that the sheriff, after playing the Green Goblin and dealing with Mary Jane’s break-up drama, decided to join this film to escape that soap opera storyline? XD
This film is also the latest work of Stephen Sommers, the director of “The Mummy” series. Looking back at his filmography, including writing and directing, his works are quite extensive, including “The Mummy series,” “The Scorpion King,” “Van Helsing,” and “G.I. Joe,” all of which are box office hits. This time, it seems Stephen Sommers also excels in creating lighthearted films.