Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made Review

February 11, 2020 at 2:46am
By Jason Stettner

This is a rather bleak and dark look at a young kid that has to deal with various emotional traumas in his own way. He’s started a detective agency, and works with his imaginary polar bear pal. This is a created illusion to deal with the walking out of his father. His mother Patty (Ophelia Lovibond) tries her best, but she has to work two jobs. That leaves an awful lot of time for Timmy (Winslow Fegley) to go about on random adventures alone while being distracted from important school life.

It’s actually rather grim, and tonally a dark look at what a void like this can present. I’m making this sound rather sorrowing, and that’s not directly shown but clearly visible. This is presented as a cheery tale of a kid that lacks the acting nuance to deliver deadpan in a comedic way which makes it even sadder. It’s actually rather depressing at times due to that, and perhaps more wholesome on accident? The plot is all over the place in this, with some narrative elements that don’t make sense.

I suppose they wouldn’t for a child from his perspective, but it’s still so loosely put together. It continues to meander throughout, with a conclusive element that left many lingering aspects of the narrative. It just sort of went along, while having this sorrowing backdrop that’s not really explored. The only one that seems to get things is the school’s psychiatrist Jenkins (Craig Robinson) who was really good in this.

This was mostly well shot, and I noticed that aesthetic less as it progressed. The CGI work on the polar bear was great, but that character didn’t really do much. It was more of a stand in, that was hollow and just a silly distraction in the background.

It was important to this character, but at the same time entirely useless. I liked the created excuse, but I saw right through that at the start and it only added to the grim experience this presents. It’s light on laughs, but I suppose I’m not the target audience. I think the main issue is that the deadpan is purely sad, as opposed to comedic. There is a nice level of absurdity, and I think the younger audience will appreciate that aspect to it.

The acting was fine from the adults, and some of the kids did really stand out here despite their age. I thought the lead was fine, but just couldn’t quite hit the comedic elements in a proper way to add enough expression to what they were presenting. He was sort of just there, witnessing the experience and rocking the scarf.

The Conclusion

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is actually a rather dark, and sorrowing tale about a young kid dealing with some series traumatic issues. It has light moments to it, and an over the top style yet it doesn’t have the nuance for the delivery of the light joke style I believe they were aiming for.

This might be solid for the younger audience out there, but I’m not sure others will get as much out of it. The polar bear was a neat addition, yet ultimately useless and a silly time filler to a rather long run time. I didn’t find this very humorous, but I liked the idea of the detective angle.

It just wasn’t done very well as so many lingering narrative elements were left over as they just expect some sort of follow-up. It wasn’t very conclusive, and just left far too open. If something else doesn’t come along, I imagine the younger ones out there will be left wanting some level of closure to this.

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening was Provided by Disney

Rating Overall: 6.0