LITTLE MAN TATE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements, language

Rated:

Once in awhile senseless browsing will turn up a film virtually lost in the shuffle over the years, forgotten due to a lack of promotion or an unknown publishing company. This seems to be the case of a touching drama entitled Little Man Tate which follows the legacy of a little boy and the two powerful women who influence his life. One is his working single mother, the other an intelligent businesswomen. 

Dede, Fred's mom, knew there was something unusual about her son (Adam-Hann-Byrd) when at age two instead of eating the food on his plate, he would name the pottery brand. A magnificent artist for a seven year old, he's so bored with school that he plays music pieces backwards and multiplies times the thousands in his head. This comes to the attention of Jane Grierson (Dianne Weist), the most accomplished author, child physiologist, and teacher in the world of businesswomen who seeks out Fred for an interview. He impresses her with his ability to understand and interpret art and music and she approaches Dede (Jodie Foster) with an offer... that if Fred were to accompany her and other promising students on the Odyssey of the Mind tour, she would gladly allow him to enroll in her school in the fall.

Somewhat put off by the obvious affection Fred already has for Jane, Dede refuses but when a tragic birthday party attempt proves that he's really quite alone in the world of children, she calls up Jane and accepts. And so Fred finds himself thrown into an entirely new world,where kids don't mock him, where he's accepted, where his brilliance is applauded instead of sneered at... and where Jane is his one confidante and driving force. He returns home much changed and his mother is wounded when he puts her intelligence down with several snide remarks. Offered a good-paying job at a hotel over the summer, Dede is ready to pack up and start her son's poolside summer vacation when Jane calls with yet another offer... that she would like to enroll him in the collage over the summer and wave his fees for as long as he should care to attend. The relationship between mother and son is strained to the breaking point but Dede reluctantly accepts knowing it would probably be best for her son. 

And so Fred moves in with Jane but things aren't going to be all rose petals and chocolate chips... Jane has no real knowledge of how to deal with children and both are in for a rocky ride while Dede suffers down south when her job offer turns out to be a mistake. All in all, over the summer each one of them -- whether it be a brilliant little boy, a young mother, or a best-selling author -- will learn a valuable lesson that will change their lives forever and help form what will become the happy childhood of Little Man Tate. This first directorial debut of Jodie Foster is a first-class home run. Her knowledge of acting itself helps weave the characters and situations together with a touching result. I wasn't really impressed right off due to the slow beginning and the jazz music that seemed to constantly play in the background during a few key scenes but after awhile, you're really drawn into the story and are eagerly awaiting to see what comes next. 

It's not a thrilling cop 'n' robber show like Entrapment would be or even a mushy Ever After romance. It's just the story of a little boy longing to find a place in this world, longing for acceptance, and I think that's one reason it appeals greatly to people of all ages... everyone is searching to find their own little niche so everyone can identify with him. You grow with the characters as you learn their own little secrets and dismays and though a lot is left unspoken, the actors manage to convey their thoughts with silence. The two bad marks against this otherwise A+ film are language and when Fred walks in on a collage boy and his girlfriend early one morning. No nudity, the scene's brief but delicately handled, however, language is prominent, with 29 uses, the most insulting being four uses each of "Jesus," "God," and GD. One of Jane's students is a real pain in the neck and mouths off several times, sometimes with bad language, and gives the bus driver the "finger." Drinks are served once or twice but the main characters only drink Coke. Dede also smokes on occasion.

It's funny, it's sad, it's touching... it's a great movie. It's in the same league as October Sky -- a film with a good heart and a great message only slightly marred with bad language. I grow more and more impressed with Dianne Wiest's acting abilities with each film and her soft, sweet voice as well as her pretty face add a great deal to the vulnerability of her character. Jodie Foster, as always, turns out an immaculate and passionate performance, and newcomer Adam-Hann-Byrd, upon whose little shoulders the entire film pretty much rests, has as much talent as Haley Joel Osmet of The Sixth Sense -- if not more. It'll make you laugh, make you cry, make you tense with the obvious tug-of-war between Wiest and Foster but most importantly it teaches, as someone states in the film, "It's not what you know that's important... it's what you do with what you know."