Review of Bridge to Terabithia (2007) by Chads. — 01 Mar 2007

"Bridge to Terabithia" needed to be a period-piece. Why? Kids grow up faster these days. As Leslie, Anna Sophia Robbs is wonderful, but she's probably too pretty for the role. As you watch Leslie, so stylish and perky, you wonder why no middle school boy(including Jessie) is attracted to her.

Robbs is like Winona Ryder in "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael", because a misfit; a true misfit, shouldn't be cute as a button. In 1978(the year Katherine Paterson won her Newberry Award), a teacher could still drive a lone male student to the museum for some extra-cirricular enrichment.

But since the film is contemporary(all those teacher-student scandals), you have to wonder what the filmmakers were thinking. That said, "Bridge to Terabithia" still delivers an emotional punch.

I remember the book well. I remember the shock. You feel Jessie's loss, but because it's a Disney production, the film ends on a false happy note. You just know that Jessie(Joss Hutcherson) will be in therapy for the rest of his natural life.