USA: Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson and Rainn Wilson star in "The Last Mimzy," a film focussed on the societal risks posed by our dependence on technology

Record ID: 1548071

  • Title: USA: Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson and Rainn Wilson star in "The Last Mimzy," a film focussed on the societal risks posed by our dependence on technology
  • Date: 16th March 2007
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS JOELY RICHARDSON, SAYING: "Very universal themes, themes that you know, most of us believe very passionately about, about what's the future of our planet, we need to look after it, instead of abusing it, and technology versus sort of humanity and connecting. So, many universal themes."
  • Embargoed: 31st March 2007 22:56
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA60JFPPAS7I9FXLE4STLYD5YCR
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson and Rainn Wilson star in a new science fiction film called "The Last Mimzy" that unfolds with a message about the future.
    "This is all stuff that is dehumanising in a way," said the film's director Bob Shaye.
    "We've become disconnected, we've become desensitized. And one of the contributors to that is this kind of pollution that in the movie is called cultural pollution. That the electronics that are available to us, the internet, the Ipod, the hand-held pilots, the, all of the stuff that we are all familiar with, and it's all amazing, you can get messages from people, and all this - but you're almost getting too many messages from too many people too often," he added.
    The screenplay is based on a short story written by Lewis Padgett in 1943. "Lewis Padgett" was the joint pseudonym of the American science-fiction authors and spouses Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore.
    In "The Last Mimzy," a pair of siblings, Noah and Emma, find a mysterious box of toys washed up on the shore of their Seattle-area vacation home. They eventually discover the unique contents of the package, including a stuffed rabbit named Mimzy, have been sent from the future.
    As they play with the toys, the brother and sister begin to develop special talents. They also start to display higher and higher intelligence levels that their teacher says has grown beyond genius. Soon the children, their parents, and even their teacher are drawn into a strange and sometimes terrifying world of unexplainable occurrences and events that defy the laws of nature.
    The movie proposes that if the world continues to rely upon new and improved technology at the same rapid pace as is currently being employed, a valuable part of our ability to relate to one another simply as people will be lost. Actress Joely Richardson, who plays the on-screen mother, says the film is likely to have a broad appeal because it addresses widespread concerns about the future of the planet.
    "Very universal themes, themes that you know, most of us believe very passionately about, about what's the future of our planet, we need to look after it, instead of abusing it, and technology versus sort of humanity, and connecting. So, many universal themes," said Richardson.
    In the film, 10-year-old Noah and 5-year-old Emma become fixated on these strange objects and the important mission they seem to have been sent to accomplish. Emma says Mimzy contains a critical message from the future. And, a scientific scan shows the stuffed animal is part very high-level electronics, and part organic creature.
    Actor Timothy Hutton, who was cast as the father, in part decided to participate for personal reasons.
    "I just really liked the idea of doing this family film," said Hutton. "I really felt like this would be something the parents would enjoy, they wouldn't, they would get to the theatre they'll see this movie and right away they'll realize that they're really happy that they came along, and provide the beginnings of conversation between them and their children."
    Meanwhile, funnyman Rainn Wilson, best known for his offbeat humour in HBO's "Six Feet Under" and more recently, "The Office" on NBC, says he was drawn into the project because it offered an opportunity for him to demonstrate his acting range, beyond the usual comedic prowess.
    "It's such a unique story that weaves so many different themes into it. And the idea at the time of playing like a real guy, a three-dimensional character, um, in telling a story that has kind of spiritual and metaphysical themes, really appealed to me and I jumped at the chance to do it," said Wilson.
    In the movie, Wilson plays a science teacher who is equally fascinated by Eastern mysticism. His character, Larry White, detects a higher purpose in the boy's complex geometric doodles, which bear an eerie resemblance to the ancient configurations that keep popping up in his dreams.
    Hutton believes "The Last Mimzy" will have global appeal.
    "I think it's a story that isn't limited to, you know, an American audience by any means," said Hutton. "It's, as Joely was just saying, it is universal. And anybody in the world can relate to how technology has sort of taken over and our reliance on it. And how we tend to talk with one another and connect less and less."
    The soundtrack for the film is composed by Howard Shore, the award winning composer behind "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters is also collaborating on a song called "Hello (I Love You)."
    "The Last Mimzy" opens in theatres on March 23rd.
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