Reviewed by Frank on Wed July 18, 2007

"Vitus" has been making the rounds throughout Europe, and has slowly been inching its way into theares stateside. Through probably not going to ever get a count of hundreds of theatres showing it, Vitus us a cute flick if you happen across it.

Vitus, 6, is an only child of extraordinary talents. He's very intelligent, and seems to have a natural aptitude for playing piano. It's not long before he's become skilled enough to be accepted into a music school for adults, and his studies have progressed beyond what his school can provide.

At home, dad's somewhat distracted with being the project manager of a new line of hearing-aid devices, helping keep his company afloat during rough times. Mom works part-time in an office, so Vitus pads away the hours at home with a sitter, Isabel. A lively grandpa with an unrealized dream of being a pilot round out the main cast of characters.

It's not too long before Vitus warms to the idea of a sitter (he's told to not think of her as a sitter, but as a girlfriend), though after a night of goofing off and some underage drinking (not shown, just spoken of), Isabel is fired and mom quits her job to spend more time with Vitus (and in reality, pushes him harder to excel). He ages, almost instantly, while at the piano bench, from 6 to 12.

As with most things, age, mom's expectations and life in general gives Vitus cause to rebel, though he doesn't go about it in traditional ways. Being a wunderkind, he's clever enough to out-think most everyone as it suits him, but a fall from his bedroom window seems to dumb him down to the level of everyone else; this change in Vitus hits mom the hardest.

At nearly two hours, it's a decent time to sit still and read German subtitles (though mom is British and slips into English from time to time), but while your body may be numb from uncomfortable seats, your mind will be fully engaged with the film. It moves along at a fair clip, with dashes of humor sprinkled in amongst the growing pains of being 12, more clever than those he meets, and the love pangs of Isabel being out of reach (he's 12, she's now 19).

A delightful film outing all around, I would say. Vitus and grandpa cook up a few schemes that ultimately work out for the better, and with a child as gifted as Vitus, anything is plausible.