Foster (2011)

Sick Product of a Sick System

A Major Disappointment

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

One of the best movies I have ever watched. Very touching story of a family trying to cope with the unfathomable sorrow from the loss of a child. Only to be made worse by not being able to conceive another child. Incredible performance from the boy "Eli" (Maurice Cole). Also heartfelt performances from Toni Collette and Ioan Gruffodd. Cannot believe the sad, cynical people who reviewed this movie negatively using terms like "creepy" and "spooky". Really!? Too bad they all got bogged down in the trivial details of accents and technical issues while missing the whole story being told before them. That unconditional love shown to people will overcome and heal even the deepest hurt and devastation. A lesson that Christ taught us that I fear is lost on the negative reviewers of this movie who could not see past the casting and unimportant details. A tremendous opportunity lost for theses folks. I vote for more movies like this vs. most of the trash that is turned out.

I found this on Sky and despite the title which is irrelevant and does nothing to draw any attention to the film, I looked up the title on here and decided to give it a go, despite mixed reviews. I watched it with my teenage son and we both loved it. It was funny and poignant and a little bit of a mystery ;) I liked all the characters, especially Eli! What a delightful little oddity he is. Sure it is reminiscent of other movies such as "It's a wonderful life" and it is somewhat predictable, but that didn't detract from it at all for me. It made me cry but on the whole it's a tender experience that leaves you with a very warm glow along with the end credits. It should be re-titled as simply "Eli" Whoever called it "Foster" was having a very bad day! It's not going to be everyone's taste but sensitive souls like myself will no doubt appreciate where it is coming from.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the creepiest movie child ever.This kid is a real piece of work. He walks around everywhere in a hat and suit. He watches news channels rather than cartoons. He'd rather read War And Peace than children's books. He uses big words like he'd swallowed a dictionary. He knows more about business than Donald Trump and Alan Sugar put together. He is, in short, a precocious little brat who needs a clip round the ear. But in the misguided world of this director, I supposed he's meant to be 'cute' and 'loveable'. Man, how wrong can you be...We know when we're supposed to be moved by a scene, because the orchestra swells in the background. This is done because the screenplay fails to achieve that aim itself, and so has to resort to emotional manipulation. We get an extended segment in Legoland, of our family going on rides, enjoying the ice cream etc. This is of course, pivotal to the plot and in no way is influenced by Lego dumping a truckload of cash on the producer's front lawn, oh no. We have Richard E Grant playing a tramp, in rather a pointless appearance where he simply stares at fireflies and offers familiar homilies about life and loss. This is a bit rich coming from a dirty hobo who has nothing to his name, other than a twinkling smile.Oh, I forgot to mention the best part. Basically, this weird little lad's foster daddy runs a toy company, and thanks to the recession and his outdated products everything's gone a bit Pete Tong. He enlists the help of his adopted son to save his ailing factory, and what do they come up together? Why, a MYSTERY BOX. What is in the BOX you might say? Well, five random toys. The same toys that no-one was buying before, which were sinking the company. But because they're suddenly packaged in a crate with a question mark on them, the stockists go apesh*t over them. At a five minute board meeting, based on this stupid idea, all the head honchos order 10k, 20k of this product... Despite it being the same tat that WASN'T selling before, just more of it. No-one there must have heard of market research. And then we get a little plug in for Hamley's. NICE WORK GUYS.As for the mother, she's been a sad sack throughout. Why? Glad you asked! She lost her natural born child two years ago in a tragic accident, and since then has been unable to conceive due to the trauma of that incident. Hence the reason they took the freakish kid on in the first place. And as the movie progresses, her new four-eyed charge brings new hope and light to her existence, and she finally learns to love life against. Towards the end of the film on Christmas Eve, we see her throwing up in a toilet... Which by this point, is a feeling I can sympathise with. I know why I felt like vomiting, but what about her? Clue: It wasn't the sprouts. Then, she packages something up, and gives to her husband as an early present with a big grin on her face. He thinks it's a Rolex. INCORRECT. It is something that won't leave you with much time on your hands though (Tee Hee).She then goes to tell speccy the 'good news'... and there, I'm afraid I must close the book on this sorry saga. The ending might have worked in a better movie, but I doubt it. Too many inconsistencies, plot holes, suspension of disbelief etc. needed. Sufficed to say, it's yet another attempt to wring tears out of us, But I'm afraid by now the well is dry. In fact, it was barren to begin with. Some say I'm too cynical. A misery guts. Mr Grumpy. But in a choice between being morose, or losing my dignity being affected by phony, badly written, artificial rubbish such as this, just call me Ebenezer Scrooge. BAH, HUMBUG!! 3/10

I agree with the last guy. I'm not very good at suspending reality and for this reason I'm attracted to films about real life which is what I was hoping for. An otherwise amazing Australian actor doing a shite Scottish accent was the first thing to distract me, but the fact they live in a show-home style mews building in Chelsea with only a failing toy factory and an empty bookshop to finance them is totally ridiculous. Alec saying to an old man 'I was at your wedding,' etc was also plain weird. To top it off the melty-cheese soundtrack and ever-present weepy incidental music made each sensitive moment into a Lassie Come Home vom-fest. The kid Eli is spooky and the fact the mum figure confides her adult problems in him like a marriage therapist is bordering on abuse!! The whole thing comes off like a 'terribly iiinglish' film made with Hollywood in mind by someone who has no clue about our culture but has managed to drag in some of our best actors to make them look like idiots.