What a awesome story. This film has a uniqueness of it's own. I've never seen a film that evolves around a young motherless child who's gifted at painting art. Movies like this are good. Keep you looking at individual characters to see who's worth routing for. The lighting was perfect, the editing was perfect of course but I think the casting was very good. Each person played the role very very well. Before watching this film, I never knew people forged paintings. I always just assumed people stole them and tried to sell them. This film has given me a new insight on the authenticity of works in general. You have to really look deep into things to be sure of it's authenticity.

I found this one on Netflix streaming movies. It plays much like a Lifetime made for TV movie.Josh Hutcherson is Joshua, who never knew his dad and was abandoned by his mother. He ends up in Carmel on the Pacific Ocean, and trying to survive by hustling. He also happens to be a very talented artist.One day he meets Hayden Panettiere as Amber, when he sees her being hassled by a teacher and Joshua jumps the fence to protect her. Things develop between them, after a couple of rough starts. The most sinister character is Alfred Molina as Everly, an artist who lives beyond his means, and his dark secret is art forgery. When he recognized Joshua's talent, he offers him a home, but his motive is to make $$Millions with Joshua's talent.Even the venerable Lauren Bacall, pushing 90, has a role here as Anne-Marie, local art celebrity, who also takes an interest in Joshua. We could call this "all in the family" as Clint Eastwood's wife, Dina Eastwood as the social worker Vanessa has an critical role, as well as Clint's son, Scott Eastwood as Ryan . There is even a part for Hayden's brother, Jansen Panettiere as Aram .My comments are in no way knocking the choice of actors, Ron Howard used his whole family to fine effect in many of his movies. But this is just not a very good movie. The actors do a pretty good job with the script, but the story is pretty obvious and it ends about where you would expect it to.

It was not a terrible movie, don't let anyone say so. The drama is a bit overplayed in certain parts - especially in one moment from Lauren Bacall, surprisingly. Though the fantastic cast did their best with the material. The film's flaw is the writing. I felt the actors gave very convincing roles given what they had: Dina Eastwood, Alfred Molina, and Hayden Panettiere especially. Josh Hutcherson shows a real natural talent, too. Spoilers to follow.I thought it was weird that the norm of this town was breaking into people's places and snooping around or what-have-you. In a couple of places the sequence of events feels forced - like Molina's character appearing out of nowhere to chat with Joshua. Most awkward for me was how Joshua felt like he had to keep the painting hidden from Everly throughout the whole last third of the film, if he was just going to screw him over anyway. Obviously, he put Dennis in place long before he finished the piece, so why not let Everly keep the painting and enjoy a boosted confidence? It made Everly's search for Joshua not at all exciting.Also, putting Dennis the Menace in the painting was genius, why didn't we get a very clear shot of that? I only just barely saw it when they're scanning the painting. And from a story-teller's perspective, Ann- Marie's "coming out" made the film clunky at the end when her purpose for it was already taken care of by Joshua's planning. She felt inconsequential and silly, whereas she could've admitted what she did to Joshua at the end when he decided to join her anyway (he knew she had done forgeries before). Would have made it more personal, and more redeeming for both of their characters.In the end, I did enjoy it, but mainly for watching a group of actors I seriously enjoy work their craft.

Anyone who's felt out of anyplace safe in their lives will relate to this movie.Many who have no clue about the subject matter (abandonment, talent with zero outlet or nurturing) will themselves be lost and clueless.When you're lost most will try and use you for whatever they see of value to them in you. Even those who see something worth helping along will not be perfect; to the lost, any flaw will be magnified. They will see a forgery, as so much of their own lives seems like a bad knockoff.This film gives you some sense of that, with broken dream being the cracks that's all you see ahead. Maybe between those a true light shines through that's worth believing in.We should all be so lucky.Molina, Bacall & Hutscherson are terrific.