SYNOPSICS
Little Men (2016) is a English,Spanish movie. Ira Sachs has directed this movie. Greg Kinnear,Jennifer Ehle,Paulina García,Theo Taplitz are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2016. Little Men (2016) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
Despite dissimilarities, two middle-school boys from one-child households (Jake and Tony) form a natural friendship when Jake moves with family into his recently deceased grandfather's Brooklyn apartment above the dress shop business of Tony's mother. Extrovert Tony plays soccer, desires to become an actor (like Jake's father) and is sociable, while introvert Jake likes to draw, build his portfolio and be somewhat reclusive. Their best friend status is challenged by Jake's parents inheriting ownership of the building where Tony's mother runs her dress business, asking for three times the rent she previously paid within the upscaling neighborhood. The boys retaliate with silence, but it will likely not be enough.
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Little Men (2016) Reviews
Enjoyable enough...but it doesn't quite hit the mark.
"Little Men" is a film I just saw at a film festival. While I have nothing against the movie, I did find that it left me feeling a bit flat...like the film just didn't quite hit the mark. The ending certainly contributes to this feeling. When the film begins, a family moves to Brooklyn from their home in Manhatten. This is because the grandfather has died and they've decided to move into Grandpa's home. The son, Jake, is a loner who loves to draw and you assume this move will be tough on him. However, their downstairs renter has a son, Tony and the boys soon become best buddies. But when a rent dispute occurs between Jake and Tony's family the story comes unraveled and just ends. The picture has some nice things going for it...such as Michael Barbieri's nice performance as Tony. But the ending left me and some others in the audience a bit disappointed as the resolution just seemed flat.
A severely underdeveloped wasted potential
Had this movie been more about the boys and less about the hard-to-like adults, it could have been something pure, fresh, exciting. Unfortunately, it turns out to be nothing but a constant skidding into the margins of a plot that never gets past the original idea. Was this filmed with the sole purpose of indulging the viewer with a superbly shot, colorful urban reality? It gains ground there. Maybe we were supposed to pour out our emotional responses on account of Greg Kinnear's, admittedly very talented, ever-downcast writhing eyebrows? Because that would be another minor win for Little Men. Alas, I don't think either of those points carry any sort of validity so, all in all, it all wraps up into a sad 'no'.
Awesome acting but completely unrealized potential
The negatives: I have no idea what the themes of this story are, and the two or three that come to mind is depressingly cynical (friends come and go & trying hard/never giving up on your goals is bad ??). It is all over the place! Nothing said or seen has anything to do with anything else. The father, while having a very unique point of view - and probably reveals why his career is where it's at, gives the most random bad advice,.. twice. Also, had the father simply told it like it is, the plot would have been resolved in about 60 seconds. The shop owner seems to be living in her own universe or is even more intellectually-challenged than we are led to believe (which creates the tension for the entire "plot".) The positives: the acting is outstanding from every cast member!! Natural and believable. The actors take what little they are given and take it to another level that, frankly, the plot doesn't deserve. The performances are simply entertaining from start to finish. (There is one scene in particular between the aspiring actor and his acting coach that is absolutely phenomenal!) The cinematography is both beautiful and realistic at the same time. Overall, I really really wanted to like this movie, I truly did. And it is not bad, but it barely gleaned of potential and never really went anywhere with it (which I think was the point.) I'm all for realistic movies, but there needs to be a point if there is no (strong) plot. Thankfully the acting & cinematography were outstanding enough for this not to be a waste of time.
Movie that I thought would be good but really made me upset
I was expecting the movie to be more about the kids, but it was mostly about their horrible parents. Tony's mom was dumb, rude, and sexist. Jake's dad needed money that was rightfully his to support his family. He tried to be as reasonable as he could and offered her a fair deal, which he was not legally obligated to do. She argues that she doesn't owe him anything, even though she does, and continuously insults him. She claims that his father cared more about her and thought it was wrong for a woman to financially support her husband. When she finds out his family needs the money she says that it's not her problem, even though it technically is. She also brings her son down into the feud. Jake's dad is not much better. He evicts Jake's best friend without considering how it would affect Jake. He doesn't want Jake to hang out with the only friend he has. When he yelled at Jake in the car, I wanted to kill him. He calls Jake selfish when all Jake wants is to keep his best friend. He gives no regard to his own actions. He even insults Tony's acting skills. He is supposed to be the adult, but his son was the real adult in the family. I was disappointed at the end when Jake apologized to his father, as if he did something wrong. I loved the kids. They were both really lovable characters and really cute. I admired their friendship and that they didn't let anything destroy their friendship even when their parents actively tried to. If this movie focused just on the two of them, it could have been great.
The acting & writing are good, but it felt a little flat at some parts & really just came to an abrupt end, which hurt the movie
"The neighborhoods changing." Brian Jardine (Kinnear) is a struggling actor who has just lost his father. He heads to Brooklyn for the funeral and to deal with his fathers estate. He discovers that a small business was costing his father money, and is unable to continue the same deal. This causes tension with him and the owner of the business, which is further enhanced by the fact that Brian's son and the son of the owner are best friends. This is a really good movie that makes you think. You really struggle to decide who is in the right and can see both sides equally. The dynamic of the adults and the kids relationships are really fleshed out and are the true heart of the movie. That said, the movie could have been really good but it stayed a little monotone and the end just kind of happened. When you watch this you will see what I mean. Overall, the acting and writing are good, but it felt a little flat at some parts and really just came to an abrupt end, which hurt the movie a little bit. I disappointingly give this a B-.