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Parents' Guide to

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Coming-of-age movie has some emotionally intense scenes.

Movie PG 2006 85 minutes
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Toby (Jonathan Lipnicki) and Cal are precocious 12-year-olds living in Granger, Texas. They're starting to like girls, Toby's mother (Jane Krakowski) is leaving him and his father (Eric Stoltz) to try and become a famous country singer, and Cal's older brother is about to leave to join the Army and fight in war. As if these changes weren't enough, a mysterious trailer arrives in a vacant lot across from the diner where Toby's mother used to work. A carnival barker sells tickets to step inside the trailer to see "The Fattest Boy in the World." His name is Zachary Beaver, and when Toby and Cal first see him, they gawk as much as the rest of the townspeople, but when the carnival barker disappears for several days to recruit more performers for his traveling sideshow, the Sheriff insists that Toby and Cal befriend Zachary before he is taken into foster care. When they learn that Zachary does not want to go into foster care, the boys try to help, even as their own problems feel daunting enough.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

Based on the award-winning book by Kimberly Willis Holt, WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN comes across as a realistic representation of tweens coming of age. This has as much to do with the acting as it does the writing; Jonathan Lipnicki is believable as a tween angry with his parents, getting his first kiss, and trying to make sense of the bigger world out there. The life, pace, and small Texas town setting come through effectively, and the movie is unafraid to tackle topics such as death and parental abandonment.

That being said, there are times when it feels like the movie tries to do too much. So much is already happening with Toby and Cal, Zachary Beaver feels at times to be superfluous. So many lessons are being taught, there isn't time for the first lesson to sink in before the next one is tackled. But in a way, though, that's refreshing, as so many coming-of-age movies barely attempt even one lesson on anything. And while some lessons are more heavy-handed than others, the film's ultimate message of empathy should resonate with families mature enough to handle the film's more serious moments.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about coming-of-age movies. What are the similarities and differences between this and other movies where tweens begin to grow up?

  • How does the arrival of Zachary Beaver in this small Texas town cause things to happen to the main characters? What are some examples of other movies where "the mysterious stranger" arrives and disrupts the ordinary routines of characters?

  • How did this movie express the grief and sorrow families feel when their loved ones die in war? Did this seem realistic to you? Why or why not?

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