The tone of "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town" is all wrong.
Scenes that should be played in a fairly lighthearted manner have a surprisingly dark edge, while the more dramatic story elements appear to be played for laughs. This comedy-drama never settles on the right balance between its light and dark sides — and there are times when the movie is almost depressingly, overwhelmingly dark.
There's also a fair amount of "cramming" as well, as if screenwriter-director John Schultz was trying to get so much of the best-selling children's book by Kimberly Willis Holt into the movie that he lost his focus. Which is a shame, considering all he had to work with.
The story takes place in tiny Granger, Texas. It's the hottest week of the year there, and best friends Toby Wilson (Jonathan Lipnicki) and Cal McKnight (Cody Linley) are spending that time getting into all sorts of mischief. Lately, Toby's been upset because his waitress mother (Jane Krakowski) has left town to seek a Nashville career, leaving the boy with his rather clueless father (Eric Stoltz).
Meanwhile, a newly arrived, shiny silver trailer has all Toby's attention these days. Inside is Zachary Beaver (Sasha Neulinger), a sideshow attraction billed as "the world's fattest boy." And when Zachary's guardian (an unbilled Kevin Corrigan) apparently abandons him, it's up to Toby to befriend the boy and figure out his story.
Then there are subplots about one of Toby's female classmates (Amanda Alch) and Cal's soldier brother (Jesse Pennington). There are just too many subplots, and some should have been jettisoned.
Perhaps that explains why the cast's performances range from listless (Lipnicki) to uninspired (Stoltz) to over-the-top campy (Neulinger, who adopts an unconvincing "wiseguy" accent).
What the film is trying to say about coming to terms with loss and the importance of family is well intentioned, but you have to filter through everything else in the movie to get to it.
"When Zachary Beaver Came to Town" is rated PG for some vulgar humor (involving bodily functions), scattered use of profanity (mostly mild, religion-based), and a brief scene of violence (a scuffle). Running time: 88 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com