Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made Review by the Ent and the Elf
Know Before You Go:
Movie: Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Trailer)
Streaming Service: Disney+
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 6+
Running Time: 1 hour 39 mins
Release Date: February 7th, 2020
Stars: 3 out of 5
Themes: Purpose, Talents, Perseverance, imagination
Warnings: Parent walking out, mild peril
Quick Summary:
Based on the childrens series of the same name, Timmy Failure is 11 year old boy who, along with a 1500 lb polar bear, runs a detective company called Total Failure. You’ve got a problem that needs solving? Timmy will help. Also, he may accidentally cause a bit of mayhem along the way. But he will probably help!
Discussion Questions:
- If you could have a pet for a detective partner, which animal would you choose?
- Do you have a dream profession? What do you find appealing about it?
- Have you ever had difficulty making friends at school? How did you overcome this?
- Timmy often says “Mistakes were made” rather than apologizing. Tell of a time when you struggled to apologize for something. It may be helpful for you to share a moment first so that your kids know its okay to share.
Timmy Failure- Mistakes Were Made Review:
Characters & Acting:
- This is fairly campy movie to begin with. So, any amount of campiness or cheesiness from the actors fits in perfectly. Winslow Fegley (who plays Timmy) was a fantastic choice for the role. He played the awkward child with an intense passion for being a detective perfectly.
- The other highlights from this movie are Craig Robinson (From The Office) and Wallace Shawn (From The Princess Bride). Craig plays the straight-shooting counselor and represents the relatable friend quite fluidly. Wallace plays the teach who just can’t seem to work well with Timmy and he constantly shows the wear and tear of dealing with a kid who you just can’t work with. Both were great additions to the cast, along with several others!
Script & Story:
- Timmy is constantly on the case. Which is causing him to not have good friendships or social skills. This is seen throughout the film with some nice development throughout.
- One really nice subtle underlying plot is that Timmy is so obsessed with his detective company due to his father stepping out on the family. You can see once it is taken away from him, he struggles to cope with anything or even express emotions at all.
- The ending is also interesting because it definitely seems open to having a sequel or potentially even a series of movies.
Film Quality:
- This movie overall is a fairly straight forward kids live-action movie, apart from 1500 pound polar bear. The filming feels very natural and comfortable. Also, the polar bear always had the possibility of feeling clunky and awkward, but the animation pulls it of really well.
Favorite Moments:
- Timmy’s use of “Normal is for normal people” played out throughout the movie. Ultimately, Timmy comes to realize that very few people are normal.
- The scene when the school counselor sits on the ground with Timmy and tells him that he needs to own mistakes and adapt to situations. Also, his use of “Russian bugs” in the cookie to motivate Timmy was absolutely wonderful.
Final Thoughts:
Although this movie may not be enjoyed by everyone in the family, it is a fun story with some poignant and beautiful moments.
Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and this Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made review uses affiliate links, we only link products we think you’ll like and you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Find our other reviews with discussion questions here. Our posts about faith here. And our posts about family stuff here.