It gets harder and harder to make it through movies with kids in bad situations. This is a very emotionally affecting movie that thankfully has enough of a fairy tale aspect to not throw you completely into despair. I was really swept into the story and definitely needed kleenex for the last 10 minutes or so.

On the other hand, while it completely works within the mood & tone of the film, but there is a LOT of soft-focus fuzzy filmmaking throughout the flick and there were several points at which my eyes had just really had enough of that (I’m such a cranky old lady).

The problem with this movie exists at the very deepest level of plot: if these characters are brother & sister, they can’t wind up together and all their great chemistry is to no effect.

So while there were things I liked and some nice performances, it’s ultimately not what the viewer of a romance really wants to see. And the romance that does feature as a B-plot was shown so minutely in the film that you never really get to root for it.

I don’t think I know a single other person who saw this. It was crazy hot that day, and I can’t afford to turn on my air conditioning, and it was the only movie starting within the next 30 minutes. Also: Chris Pine is yummy.