I, Object: Movie Review

Cast: Bentley Storteboom, Skywalker Hughes, Karl Urban, Anna Faris, Ethan Hawke, Jemaine Clement

Director: Andrew Niccol

For a director who's dealt in Eugenics and digitally created actresses, Andrew Niccol's self-written I,Object marks a distinctly retro movie, reminiscent of the kind of gentle family fare that used to play on Sunday afternoons on the BBC back in the 1980s.

This whimsical tale is the story of Tom (Storteboom, subtle and sweet), a 10-year-old kid who's still grieving the loss of his father and who appears to horde everyday objects, much to the annoyance of his stepfather Frank (a gloweringly monstrous Urban, barely seen in full view during the film).

Unable to connect with other kids and bullied because he talks to himself, Tom has a condition - Pareidolia, wherein he sees faces in normal objects. From a talking grater to a speaking bag via his father's beloved clock Benny (voiced by Hawke, who's the film's narrator), Tom has created his own world to help him cope.

But when he meets Allie (Hughes) who shares his condition, the two form a bond - however, the adults in their lives soon determine both need help from other sources.

A cautionary tale about growing up, it would be easy to posit that I, Object shares similar DNA with Toy Story (even down to one terrifying furnace sequence). But unlike Toy Story, there's a whimsy coursing through Niccol's film that plays toward the innocence of a child and the fear of growing up.

While Niccol has stuffed his story with some terribly crowbarred puns, the script's commitment to the fantastical edges and the grounded heart helps it greatly, bringing a story of grief to life in ways that you'd least expect.

While Clement adds a kind of deadpan humour to his soda can who yearns for reincarnation as part of an aeroplane, Hawke brings a wistfulness to Benny, a clock whose years have brought him wisdom that he hopes to pass on to Tom as he guides him.

It all sounds fantastical - and in many ways, it is - but I, Object's heart lies in its innocence and the ability to see everything in the world as something wonderful. Thanks to its canny effects and its gentle touch, don't be surprised if you end up looking at plugs or many other household objects in different ways after you've seen it.