Henry James Herman (Jason Spevack Ramona and Beezus) is a remarkable child. His gift (and his curse) is that he remembers everything that he sees. This gift (or curse) is the reason that, at 9 months old, Henry was speaking in full sentences and why at 10 he was being paid to attend college. Yup, you read that right. The school was paying him to attend their college. It would seem that with a mind like Henry’s he could want for nothing.

Henry’s mother Patricia (Toni Collette; About A Boy)  has lived a very interesting life. On one particular birthday a long time ago her mother caught fire and died leaving her with a house full of men. One by one her brothers met tragic ends, except for one, the one that left her to take care of her rambunctious cop father (Frank Moore; Earth: Final Conflict). In the grand scheme of things this experience made Patricia a feminist who would spend the rest of her life going against the grain when it comes to the tradition of man and woman. Then one day at a protest rally she realizes that she really wants to become a mother, the result of which is Henry.

Meet Dr. Slavkin O’Hara (Michael Sheen; Frost/Nixon), a pill popping professor whose recent publication, Gay Or Born That Way, contains the story of how he raised his daughter (Samantha Weinstein; The Rocker) non-gender bias. Dr. Slavkin has had testicular cancer, lost his wife to his own doctor, and his daughter hates him due to the publishing of his book. Both he and his daughter are wreck and what comes next may either make things worse or bring a little light into their lives.

Director Dennis Lee (Fireflies In The Garden) said it best when he explained that his film is your basic film about searching for identity. It really is nothing more then that when you look at the plot on a narrow scale, but when you include the usual indie quirks of dysfunction and black comedy paired with fantastic actors and great execution it becomes more about the ride then the destination.

I usually dislike child actors when it comes to a more adult setting, especially when the film rides on their shoulders, but Jason Spevack is amazingly believable as Henry James Herman, a boy who has seen to much and who just wants to find a place for themselves in the world. Samantha Weinstein also does a fantastic job in her role as the closed off target of bullying at school and the victim of an alienated relationship between herself and her father. They really handle the role and the themes well enough so that you quickly become invested in their characters and that makes all the difference in the world for staying with a story that’s been told many times before.

Expect to find yourself putting this film in contrast with the works of Wes Anderson, the artistic look and feel of the films environments, the damaged characters, the choice of soundtrack. It really does have a lot of the same elements as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic, but at it’s core the questions are a bit different, and how Dennis Lee chooses to suggest the possibility of an open ended answer leaves room for discussion at the end of the film and repeat viewings a very easy option.

Bonus features on the disc include Theatrical Trailer and a 30+ Minute Cast and Crew Interview segment that I would highly suggest checking out. As always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.