The Last Mimzy Review
By Sean O'Connell
So begins Robert Shaye's pleasant adventure The Last Mimzy, inspired by Lewis Padgett's short story Mimsy Were the Borogoves, which should do for sci-fi exploration what Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids franchise did for family espionage. The adults in Noah's life -- from his parents (Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton) to his science teacher (Rainn Wilson) -- are too caught up in their daily routine to notice that the boy is changing. It isn't until Mimzy causes a citywide blackout that the military -- personified by Michael Clarke Duncan -- comes snooping around. The movie, at this point, begins to mimic E.T. without actually becoming its emotional equivalent.
Shaye's day job is co-CEO for New Line Studios -- he helped greenlight the Lord of the Rings franchise (hooray!) and continues to impede Peter Jackson from attempting to film The Hobbit (boo!).
Behind the camera for the first time since 1990's Book of Love, Shaye nails some important themes that keep Mimzy relevant and accessible. The film establishes a comforting family dynamic in the Wilders, despite the omnipresence of technology. One of my favorite scenes in the film finds dad David (Hutton) trying to connect with Noah after a hard day's work. He has to repeatedly ask the boy to turn off a blaring video game system so the two can have an actual face-to-face.
Too many parents in the audience will identify. They'll also enjoy the antics of Wilson, who tones down his dominant Dwight persona from NBC's The Office to find the hippie Pacific Northwest vibe of a Mister Wizard professor who's too cool for school. And most moms and dads will rush home from the theater to download Roger Waters' trippy original tune "Hello (I Love You)", which plays over the movie's end credits. It easily could be a lost track from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album.
The rest of Mimzy appeals directly to pre-teens, primarily boys primed for fantastic adventures. Newcomers O'Neil and Wryn are finds. As Noah and Emma play with their space toys, they grow infinitely more intelligent, but the child actors never lose the important sense of innocence that powers these precious voyages.
We got a mimzy under here. Call the exterminator.

Facts and Figures
Year: 2007
Run time: 90 mins
In Theaters: Friday 23rd March 2007
Box Office USA: $21.4M
Box Office Worldwide: $27.3M
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Production compaines: New Line Cinema, Michael Phillips Productions
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Fresh: 65 Rotten: 57
IMDB: 6.3 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Robert Shaye
Producer: Robert Shaye, Justis Greene, Sara Risher
Screenwriter: Jim Kouf, Bruce Joel Rubin, Toby Emmerich
Starring: Chris O'Neil as Noah Wilder, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as Emma Wilder, Joely Richardson as Jo Wilder, Timothy Hutton as David Wilder, Rainn Wilson as Larry White, Kathryn Hahn as Naomi Schwartz, Michael Clarke Duncan as Nathanial Broadman, Kirsten Alter as Sheila Broadman, Irene Snow as Teacher in Meadow, Marc Musso as Harry, Nicole Muñoz as Kid with Braces, Scott E. Miller as School Guard, Megan McKinnon as Wendy, Randi Lynne as Julie the Babysitter, Tom Heaton as Future Scientist
Also starring: Robert Shaye, Justis Greene, Sara Risher, Jim Kouf, Bruce Joel Rubin, Toby Emmerich