Fantastic!

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Christian Bale stars as Bobby Platt, an innocent young man that doesn't fit in so well with society(I sympathize greatly!) who is forced to take to the highways and roads of Cornwall, England after his mother dies, and his evil sociopath of a stepfather decides to put him away to gain full control of the family business.Bobby is viewed as mentally challenged, but really that is a misunderstanding of this poor innocent person, who loves nature, and after befriending fellow wanderer Mister Summers(played with quiet dignity by John Hurt) decides to help him bury dead animals killed by cars along the road. Mr. Summers has a secret past that keeps him a recluse, but they form a close friendship that becomes threatened by the return of the stepfather...Christian Bale is entirely believable, and his journey of self-discovery is remarkable. Story does have a jarring change of tone in the climax, but this is not enough to mar this otherwise memorable film that like-minded viewers will appreciate.

ALL THE LITTLE ANIMALS Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (2.35 Research)Sound format: Dolby DigitalUntil it takes a darker turn during its latter stages, there's a quiet dignity at the heart of this unusual drama, the directorial debut of producer Jeremy Thomas, based on a novel by Walker Hamilton. Christian Bale - a long way from EMPIRE OF THE SUN and two years from American PSYCHO - plays a mentally impaired young man who runs away from his creepy stepfather (Daniel Benzali) in the wake of his mother's death and ends up in Cornwall, where he befriends an eccentric hermit (John Hurt) whose fondness for animals strikes a healing chord within Bale's damaged psyche. Together, they set out to bury the dead creatures they find around their ramshackle home in the forest, many of them killed by traffic on lonely country roads.Characterized by its magical performances (Bale is utterly convincing as the 10 year old boy trapped in a 25 year old's body) and eye-popping, panoramic vistas of the English landscape, the film offers a gentle reminder of mankind's place in the natural scheme of things, though Thomas makes his point without stooping to preachiness or obvious metaphors. In an amusing turnabout from standard Hollywood practices, this UK-lensed film features an American actor (Benzali) playing a Brit villain, the catalyst for a late-breaking plot development which some may find overly melodramatic. By turns humane, frightening and beautiful, this isn't a movie for all tastes, but adventurous viewers will be rewarded for their patience. A possible cult in the making.

My son and I really liked this film. If you are into shoot 'em up, no thinking or feeling required movies, then this one is not for you. For those who like animals and like to see the little guy win once in awhile, this is a great film. The stepfather, DeWinter, is a typical "nothing matters but money" type person and his unfortunate stepson, Bobby, gets caught in the line of his ruthless fire. As fate would have it, Bobby meets an eccentric and oddly lovable old fellow, Mr. Summers, who is into giving the poor creatures who have been flattened on the road a decent burial and a little compassion for what their little life once was. I know in this steam roller over everything that isn't human world that we live in, a lot of people aren't concerned in the slightest with what befalls those who are not so fortunate as them, particularly when it's a non-human unfortunate. But I found it very refreshing that someone took the time to write a book and do a film about the "underdogs" of life on this planet. I found myself cheering Bobby on when he finally finds his backbone and deals with his stepfather appropriately. For those who love animals and maybe even detest the cruelty that some people just feel they have to exhibit towards the helpless, this is a one in a million movie where the little guys win.

If you like heart warming movies, see All the Little Animals. It is about a sweet boy named Bobby who is left with his evil step-father after his mother dies. His step-father treats him like an idiot, when really Bobby is just a very tender boy. Bobby finally comes to his senses and escapes into the wilderness, meeting an old animal lover whom he calles Mr. Summers. I won't tell you any more, SEE THE MOVIE!!!