Little Children (2006)

Best movie of this year hands down!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is a strange work in all departments. It looks artistically terrific, it's very well acted by most and there's even some quite good writing but, this somehow ends up being wrapped around some very suspect stuff. It offers up the odd believable situation and characters - the problem is, these also somehow become transposed within obvious and banal plot deficiencies. What to make of all this? Are the writer and director (Tom Perrotta/Todd Field) trying to become the new Stanley Kubrick successors? (seems there was some association with Kubrick - except by this time it was becoming very evident he was sinking into his own porn soaked mediocrity). This classy production, with its lashings of sexual intensity and chilling observations - attempts to convince us it's a documentary style examination of moral failings within modern society. There's the interesting use of a narrator who's designed to sound like the smooth voice-over of those intelligent WGBH documentaries that come out of Boston – giving insights into our soulless obsession with pornography in all forms of modern media. Unfortunately, it's how they go about the script that eventually lets it all down. The story's peopled by stereo-typical Hollywood types IE: Strong Women and weak men - we are introduced to a group of women who meet in the local park with their kids. While the kids play happily these soap-opera type women gossip and ogle the only man who also takes his son to the park. They sit perched together on their bench, except one, who sits alone on the ground, yes, she's the obligatory 'different' one, that's OK, but then we are told by the narrator that she's the intelligent 'plain' one of the group (Kate Winslet plain? well...) Next, we learn she's sexually ignored by a husband who is more interested in internet porn and interferes with himself while sniffing a pair of panties once worn by his websites fantasy heroine! Now back to the handsome dad in the park – he's a low- achiever whose wife is a successful documentary maker. She wears the pants and offers him little marital 'comfort'– the scene is now set for him and Kate to get it all off for some R rated...well, you know the rest. Then we have a paedophile named Ronnie, he's just been released from jail on a charge of indecent exposure involving a minor - Jackie Earle Haley gives a chilling performance as Ronnie who's definitely a psychotic worry, (as his 'singles' first date is to find out) When the town mums see Ronnie at the local swimming pool they run screaming to grab their kids from the pool, creating another over the top scene looking as if Jaws had just popped into the pool. This now brings us to the creepily weird, failed ex-cop (and macho football team member) who will now become the super aggressive vigilantly of the piece...and on it goes for nearly 2. 1/2hrs. What might have been an intelligent, stylistic study of urban moral decline ends up as a sensationalistic wallow. Seems it's another case of acclaimed movie makers trying to top themselves and ending up being everything they shouldn't. A considerable amount of money was lavished on this Academy Award contender – understandably very little came back.

Honestly, the movie stills were not encouraging and i felt bad vibes for this movie before I watch it. Now and after, i think this is the best American drama that I have seen in a long time ! It has a formidable cast, the production is classic (blue / orange colorization wasn't introduced yet !) and the story speaks really to us (upper classes families as main subject weren't introduced yet !). The first thing i noticed is the voice-over of a narrator that unveils its literature origin. If i consider it, a weak movie tool (because it says that the director can't deliver the message visually) however here you are stunned by the quality of the speeches ! Then, you discover that the author really imagined great slices of life for people who can be you and me and we really care for those dreamy or labeled people. If i pick this movie for Jennifer, i admit that Kate steals the show as she is always perfect as showing her feelings. « Nite owl » and « Rorsach » are also really good. At the end, such a good movie like this really push to follow the work of this unknown director or read the author who wrote the novel !

Many a film have made on the subject of suburbia and while LITTLE CHILDREN doesn't do much thematically to distinguish itself from what came before, its masterful direction and excellent performances put it a notch above the rest. The story is centered around Brad (Patrick Wilson) and Sarah (Kate Winslet), each married but unsatisfied with their lives. Brad is a stay-at-home dad who has yet to pass the bar and quite a pushover when it comes to his wife. Sarah is a stay-at-home mom/writer who doesn't feel like she belongs with the gossipy mothers she hangs out with in the public park (by virtue of being around them). Amidst this idyllic suburban setting (on the surface) there is a recently released sex offender who moves into the neighborhood to live with his mother, and an ex-cop who will stop at nothing to let everyone know about the "pervert" who just invaded their "sanctuary." Thematically, the film doesn't really break any new ground. You have your put-upon husband with his domineering wife,and a wife overcome with ennui at her banal existence along with her disinterested husband. Any character type you can think of is in this film. What sets it apart somewhat is the degree to which it lets the drama speak for itself and develop more subtly, barring a couple moments which telegraph meaning rather obviously. One such moment is in a book club where the audience is deliberately clued in on a comparison between Sarah and Emma Bovary, the novel which they are discussing. I also thought the voice-over narration was a bit overdone and vocalized character motivations/thoughts that didn't necessarily need to be said out loud. Even so, the narration gave the film this storybook quality which meshed quite well with the setting and tone. Of course, all the performances were top-notch, especially from Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson. They have great on screen chemistry and the characters they portrayed seemed very realistic. Jennifer Connelly and Gregg Edelman do fine as Brad and Sarah's spouses, respectively, but they weren't really given enough screen time (especially Gregg) to make much of an impression. Outside of this, I thought the subplot about the sex offender, Ronnie McGorvey (Jackie Earle Haley), was done rather tastefully. Quite a big deal is made in the film about judging others for some "higher cause" ("Think of the children...") while turning a blind eye to one's own faults and shortcomings. And based on the ending (which I won't spoil), it also seems to be making a point about the immaturity of trying to escape from one's life and responsibilities. Ultimately, LITTLE CHILDREN is rather pedestrian when it comes to the themes usually explored in these types of films and is a little too "on the nose" in a couple places, but its slick execution and awards-worthy performances make it worth a watch.

I enjoyed the movie. I like everything about it. Except for the parts with Kathy and her charlatan husband. Now it's time for Todd to apologize for "his" infidelities. They acted like Kathy made Todd go to law school like a mother. He's a grow man he had a choice. He never told her he didn't like law school. And why wasn't he working and supporting his wife and son too? Now that he was old enough to start preschool. And why did the movie made him out to be the victim? Kathy wasn't the one misbehaving. I guess Kathy's mother was right. Now she should listen and leave them. But I liked everything else about the movie.