If you have not read the book "An Invisible Sign of My Own" or bother at least to read the book reviews of this 2001 fiction by Aimée Bender, you may very well be disappointed by the movie; it most certainly is not a commercial or popular storyline producers would try to outbid themselves for the movie rights. It is a charming tale of a quirky young woman, Mona Gray, played by Jessica Alba, who has not grown up yet but is pushed into the real world and must learn to swim or sink, metaphorically speaking. She lands a job as a math teacher at an elementary school, with false credentials; it is the only job she seems fit for.
The ever slow process of Mona's self-discovery begins in earnest with her new job, with the help of a new found friend, a very patient and kind science teacher Ben Smith played by Chris Messina, and an older one, Mona's own former math teacher turned hardware store owner played by J.K. Simmons, she had dismissed from her life a while back. The trauma of her father's mental illness is at the core of Mona's cocoon-life and behaviour. The interest Mona takes in one of her pupils, Lisa Venus, played so believably well by Sophie Nyweide, starts Mona's process of maturing; Lisa's single mother is dying of the rarest of cancer and Mona is the sole person who ever expressed care for her daughter.
There are a few beautiful lines, and memorable, in the movie; the movie has narration, by Alba. In one, she says "Life is much harder than math" and another I liked but must paraphrase (I did not write it down) "You know you're grown-up, an adult, when you look around and you're the one in charge". This is the first time, in my recollection; I've seen J.K. Simmons play a role that was not that of a tough codger or extremely witty guy; here he plays a role of a kind simple man you can expect in a fairytale. The direction by Marilyn Agrelo was excellent, as I see the attention paid to details.
Mostly, I was blown away by Jessica Alba's performance; one that did not require her to take her clothes off, or do some phony martial artsy high kicking or one of the roles she so often has played. Here, she shows facial expressions of innocence, bewilderment, fear, caring and love like you expect from a really good actor; she does not overplay her role and she is believable. As much as I liked her shower scene in 'Machete' I loved her acting here. I hope producers and directors take note and send worthy scripts her way. I knew she had the potential when I saw the film "Sleeping Dictionary"; perhaps motherhood (she's a real mom now) has allowed her to find character depth we now know she can deliver. This movie somehow reminds me of "I Am Sam" and "Skellig" for the mood of the movies, or the one I had to be in to watch them. So basically, as the ratings indicate, this will not be a commercial hit and many will find fault with Alba showing no skin and mock her acting; that's too bad. Other reviewers who read the book recommend the movie; that's usually good.
The ever slow process of Mona's self-discovery begins in earnest with her new job, with the help of a new found friend, a very patient and kind science teacher Ben Smith played by Chris Messina, and an older one, Mona's own former math teacher turned hardware store owner played by J.K. Simmons, she had dismissed from her life a while back. The trauma of her father's mental illness is at the core of Mona's cocoon-life and behaviour. The interest Mona takes in one of her pupils, Lisa Venus, played so believably well by Sophie Nyweide, starts Mona's process of maturing; Lisa's single mother is dying of the rarest of cancer and Mona is the sole person who ever expressed care for her daughter.
There are a few beautiful lines, and memorable, in the movie; the movie has narration, by Alba. In one, she says "Life is much harder than math" and another I liked but must paraphrase (I did not write it down) "You know you're grown-up, an adult, when you look around and you're the one in charge". This is the first time, in my recollection; I've seen J.K. Simmons play a role that was not that of a tough codger or extremely witty guy; here he plays a role of a kind simple man you can expect in a fairytale. The direction by Marilyn Agrelo was excellent, as I see the attention paid to details.
Mostly, I was blown away by Jessica Alba's performance; one that did not require her to take her clothes off, or do some phony martial artsy high kicking or one of the roles she so often has played. Here, she shows facial expressions of innocence, bewilderment, fear, caring and love like you expect from a really good actor; she does not overplay her role and she is believable. As much as I liked her shower scene in 'Machete' I loved her acting here. I hope producers and directors take note and send worthy scripts her way. I knew she had the potential when I saw the film "Sleeping Dictionary"; perhaps motherhood (she's a real mom now) has allowed her to find character depth we now know she can deliver. This movie somehow reminds me of "I Am Sam" and "Skellig" for the mood of the movies, or the one I had to be in to watch them. So basically, as the ratings indicate, this will not be a commercial hit and many will find fault with Alba showing no skin and mock her acting; that's too bad. Other reviewers who read the book recommend the movie; that's usually good.