Vitus is a 12-year-old boy who almost seems to be from another planet--he has hearing like a bat, he plays piano like a virtuoso and studies encyclopedias. No wonder his parents begin to anticipate a brilliant future for him as a classical pianist. However, the daily pressure of hours of musical practice, his over-protective but well-meaning mother and his father's precarious financial situation lead the boy to seek refuge at his eccentric grandfather's house. Vitus and his grandfather's shared love of flying, mischief and adventure offers Vitus an opportunity at a normal childhood--something the burden of his talent had previously prevented him from. When Vitus employs a ruse pretending he's been robbed of his talent, his future as a piano virtuoso falls at risk. - skip ad - Genres: Art/Foreign, Comedy and Drama Running Time: 2 hrs. Release Date: June 29th, 2007 (limited) MPAA Rating: PG for mild thematic elements and language. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics Cast And Credits Starring: Fabrizio Borsani, Teo Gheorghiu, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker, Bruno Ganz Directed by: Fredi M. Murer Produced by: Christian Davi, Christof Neracher, Fredi M. Murer

This film about a brilliant boy pianist fighting to shape his destiny was Switzerland’s entry for the 2006 Oscars, and you can see why. Like most award-seeking crowd-pleasers, it places uncomfortable impulses in opposition — in this case parents’ desire to develop a child’s latent genius, versus the child’s desire to have a “normal” childhood and find his own way — then dramatizes them in the most unchallenging way imaginable.

Vitus is a Franz Liszt in the making, and academically gifted to boot, but he would rather fly planes. His saintly grandfather (Bruno Ganz) respects his individuality, even as Vitus’s loving but self-centered parents (Julika Jenkins and Urs Jucker) jump him ahead in school and make him perform at parties.

The title character is played as a 6-year-old by Fabrizio Borsani and as a 12-year-old by Teo Georghiu. Both performers are real piano prodigies, and the director, Fredi M. Murer, acknowledges their gifts in shots lingering on their finger-work.

Unfortunately, Mr. Murer is too sweet on his characters, including Vitus, a brat who sasses his teachers, scams his parents, creepily courts a teenage girl (Tamara Scarpellini) who was once his baby sitter and sneaks into a commuter airport and steals a plane for a joy ride.

The triumphant musical cues and comic double takes encourage us to cheer Vitus’s high jinks as if he were Ferris Bueller’s ivory-tickling kid brother.

“Vitus” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It has underage drinking, adult situations and mildly inappropriate language.