You have to take some liberties with "I Am David". You have to remember some things before going in to it. Normally, I don't like a movie that requires a list of guidelines before entering in to it, but for "I am David", I was slightly more lenient because it's a kids film. And a rather enjoyable one at that. David is a young boy who has grown up in a labor camp his whole life. One night he finally decides to escape the camp and must now travel to Denmark to see his estranged mother. I was willing to cut it much more slack basically because this is a kids film, that's all it is, so you have to suspend some disbelief, which accounts for the mostly kind hearted characters David meets on his cross country
journey, the lack of force the soldiers use to track him down, his convenient mastering of four languages, and how the instruments in his bag always manage to come in handy at the right times. One could make a case that these are the dreams of a real child in one of these concentration camps who was never so fortunate, but for that perspective alone, I took appreciation towards this.

It's unrealistic, whimsical, and everything happens as it should, but it's also immensely sweet and well intentioned. I'm never a fan of religious themed children's fare, but "I am David" was entertaining and excited enough to qualify for a good film. It's a wholesome film that never really talks down to children, and really does show them a real struggle. David is a illogically, but admirably level-headed child who can maneuver around these soldiers, and get past borders by the skins of his teeth, and it's exciting to constantly watch him get out of these jams. With flashbacks of his friend Johannes, and a mysterious narrator explaining to David what he has to do to survive, "I am David" becomes taut in some sequences. Including in the incredibly tense opening reminiscent of "The Great Escape", which I found quite engrossing even if far fetched.

Jim Caviezel has a small role but incredibly effective role as David's friend, surrogate father, and fellow prison mate Johannes who helps to instill companionship within him. I thought  Johannes would end up being a guardian angel in a quasi-guardian angel twist, but luckily his purpose becomes much more integral to the welfare of David. As for the mysterious narrator, it comes as quite a surprise in the end. David's journeys across the world involve encountering different characters, and trying to save his neck, and you can't help but sympathize for him since he's basically just a kid who wants to be safe and sound with his estranged mother. But the aspect that basically won me over when all was said and done was the very touching climax that really does make the story admirable.

Sadly, though, the film is awfully Capra-esque. Many times more so to the point where Capra would cringe at its illogical plot devices. The kids loot always comes in handy at the right time, he always gets in to scuffles and gets out just fine, he's never caught, and in one awfully ridiculous scene, he's able to get clean, be in clean clothing, and have brushed clean hair. How, exactly? And why are we supposed to believe this? For a film that uses history as a clothesline for its story, it's not concerned with being realistic or even believable. Meanwhile, the limp story is never as exciting as it could be and often features our main character just walking through different countries and experiencing different colorful characters whom are never threatening.

Even the antagonists come off as misguided, many times, and David can always get out by some sort of coincidence or luck of the draw. He saves a girl from a fire, and she happens to be the daughter of a rich family whom take him in and feed him, and he must escape because they begin asking questions, and the climax also becomes incredibly coincidental. The writing from Feig is also inconsistent. The whispering narrator declares, and declares often: Trust no one, yet David really meets only helpful people. An old woman who takes him in, a rich family who takes him in, a kind sailor, eccentric street merchants, and the like. Some realism wouldn't have hurt. And I'd like to know why they kept David in the labor camp when he was a child. It's a known fact that children who were too young to work in concentration and labor camps were killed. But, that's more nitpicking than flaw.

In spite of Caviezel being shown more prominently on the poster in spite of he being in the film a combined total of ten minutes, "I Am David" is a very sweet, entertaining and melancholy historical drama that kids will enjoy, even if it is manipulative, limp, far-fetched, and illogical.

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