Sketch

Grade: B

While Freakier Friday, also out this past weekend, will surely bring in more of a crowd, Sketch is the superior underdog. It is wiser, has more to say, and is closer to being an original story. Though I, of course, thought of Harold and the Purple Crayon, it only deserves that comparison when it comes to subject matter – certainly not quality. It was a pleasure to see Sketch, and it’s perfect for the 8-12 year olds.

Angel is the studio behind Sketch. They have become notorious for corny, treacly, overacted faith-based films that jerk easy tears, like Sound of Freedom, I Can Only Imagine, and Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot. Nothing wrong with the faith part, but the other stuff… Sketch is one of their better offerings. The actors had believable camaraderie, and – for a fantasy – it played more real than several “based on an incredible true story” movies.

We meet the Wyatts – a family of three. The mother has passed away, and Taylor, the father, is left to raise his children Amber and Jack. They live in a house so secluded, that when I first saw a shot of the school bus on a country backroad, I thought they were on a field trip – but no, they were just going to school. Amber draws things in her notebook – like a monster doing destructive things to a bully, or tiny spider-like creatures taking away her dad’s phone and coffee cup after he’s made her mad. The school therapist says she can understand how these may look disturbing, but it’s better that she draw these images than actually do them. The pond near their house is apparently a magical one. It fixes Jack’s cracked phone, heals some cuts on his hands when he falls in the woods, and when pages from Amber’s notebook accidentally fall in, all the drawings come to life and try to do what they’re portrayed to do.

Fellow critics have observed that it’s nice to see a kids movie where the kids are the stars, and they are so right. Sketch trusts the child actors to carry it, and they are up to the task. I look forward to seeing any of them again, especially Bianca Belle as Amber. I hear Tony Hale in movies more than I see him; he provided the voice of Fear when Bill Hader didn’t return for Inside Out 2. He handles the role of the father well. D’Arcy Carden (Dicks: The Musical, Bombshell) is enjoyable as Taylor’s sister. Kalon Cox is great as a bully-turned-friend who joins forces with Amber and Jack to deal with the sketches-come-to-life, and he gave me the biggest laugh in the movie. Near the end of all the action, when a frantic Taylor sees him and desperately asks “where are my kids,” Cox’s follow-up question is not asked often in films, but it’s a natural, logical, obvious one.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but at least you can’t accuse it of belaboring. It’s a hit-it-and-quit-it affair, with a nice trim runtime. It’s funny, sweet, smart, creative, and colorful. Forget Harold and the Purple Crayon and its ilk. Sketch is the kind of thing the kids should show up for.

Grade: B