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The Book Thief (2013), PG-13, 2.5 stars

Hans (Geoffrey Rush) hugs Liesel (Sophie Nelisse).
The Holocaust and World War II are tough subjects to organize and structure a plot around because the filmmakers try to get the audience's attention and divulge their emotions. The movie has to have a balance of overwrought horror and a little sentimentality with the characters and the events to actually result as part of the collection of war movies. However, this is more of a family drama, than a ward drama, even though it is about an adoptive family. The movie has some great moments of horror and drama, but the sentimentality does not mix well with the movie.

It opens in April 1938, when Liesel's brother was killed and Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nelisse) finds her first book near her brother's graveside, she is sent to foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson). She makes friends with a noticeable neighbor, Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch). Rudy decides to become her friend and guides her on the first day of school. He is more impressed when one of the boys approaches Liesel and forces her to read and she responds by beating him up. Afterwards, Hans realizes the Liesel does not know how to read, so, he teaches her and she becomes obsessed with reading anything.

World War II has commenced and Lionel and Rudy witnesses the Hitler Youth movement and when they both witness many Nazis throwing books at a bonfire, she is bullied by the same boy who she beat up, Franz. Liesel becomes sad and upset when she looks at the fiery horror of all that knowledge and work that many authors put up their time to write on to entertain many people's minds. After the ceremony is over, Liesel picks up a book that is not burned and the mayor's wife sees her picks it up.

This puts Liesel is a very precarious position as she begins to be described as a "book borrower" as she loves to read especially in the library. During Kristallnacht in 1938, a boy named Max Vanderburg (Ben Schnetzer) escapes and flees to the Hubermanns' residence and both Rosa and Hans shelter him. But, Max is the son of the father who saved Hans during WWI. Max and Liesel are friends because of the mutual hatred of Hitler and Liesel blames Hitler for losing her mother. Only time will tell if Max and the Hubermanns will last.

Hans, Liesel and Rosa (Emily Watson) at the train station.
I like movies that try to take a risk of a family survival picture during the tough times in WWII. I mean the survival aspects are fine, but also the movie sidelines the horror of WWII as Nazi Germany takes over. I think the filmmakers shows us vague aspects of the horror and trepidation that is going on in the town. For example, Hans gets sent to the army and then he just comes back with an injury. Wait a minute. It takes him a few days to get healed? I found that too hard to believe. It seems that the filmmakers are too sensitive in its material.

Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are two fine actors who give restrained performances and they would have been portrayed better in a much better WWII movie. I will say that Sophie Nelisse gives a great performance as the girl because we have to witness everything that is going wrong from her point of view and she's put up to the task. Also, another aspect of the movie that works is John Williams' score and his music is never faulty or imperfect. His music conveys the tone of the horror and corny sentimentality.

Speaking of the sentimentality, that aspect is inappropriate in a movie of horror and umbrage that is going on. Death is treated in this movie like a fairy tale character parallel to Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. As Death is a narrator, the dialogue could've been better in a psychological aspect. I did like the look of the movie and I like the performances, but the movie as a result is so schmaltzy and inappropriately sentimental for a difficult subject matter. If it had more darker material and pushed it to an R rating, maybe the movie would've work. It's a mixed review from me, but ultimately, I cannot recommend the movie.

**1/2

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