Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Borderline Asperger’s kid loses his father in the twin towers and finds a key among his dad’s belongings. To keep his father's memory going, he devises a mission to find the key's lock -- much like the expeditions his father crafted for him while still living.

Everything was a bit too precious, the worst offender being “The Renter,” a mute but wise old man who lives with the boy’s grandmother.  For some reason, this guy thought tattooing "yes" on one palm and "no" on the other was a better idea than simply nodding or shaking his head at the appropriate time.  And speaking of doing things the hard way...all of the potential lock-holders were found in the phone book, so why didn't the kid simply call them rather than mapping out three years' worth of personal visits (that would probably be getting fairly out-of-date just months into the quest)?

Predictable and manipulative.  My eyes welled even though my heart didn't want them to...I HATE that.

C