Little Man Tate (1991)

Admirable film.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Blistering performances.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed in this film. Don't get me wrong...it's a good movie...but it did something that happens all often in films...it sort of left us hanging at end. All that story and then we're dismissed without knowing much about how things went on after that. And, the film does occasionally drag.However, there is a lot to like here. I liked the most important aspect of the film -- that there is a difference between loving a child and enriching a child. The mother here (Jodie Foster) could love, but not enrich. On the other hand the foundation leader (Dianne Wiest) could enrich, but not love.The cast here is great. Jodie Foster hits the target with her performance, as does Dianne Wiest (a very much underrated actress). Adam Hann-Byrd as the boy is superb. Harry Connick Jr. brought an interesting aspect to the story, but his role is so minor that it left me wanting more exploration of how the boy might interact with a very different type of adult. David Hyde Pierce...I would have liked a little more screen time, as well. I always enjoy Debi Mazar.The producers were brave here. This is not a film that would have a wide audience. Who would really like this film? Fans of Foster or Wiest. And people who are interested in, or involved with kids who have true giftedness (and that was me in my pre-retirement role as a principal in a school with a large gifted program...although not this gifted). If you fit in one of those categories, you will no doubt enjoy this film.

Dede Tate (Jodie Foster) is an unconventional single mom to awkward and brilliant nice kid Fred. She's a waitress with her friend Gina (Debi Mazar). Jane Grierson (Dianne Wiest) wants him in her genius program assisted by Garth (David Hyde Pierce). Dede wants a normal childhood for him. When nobody shows up for his birthday, Dede reluctantly allows Fred to go with Jane where Damon is the alpha student. Dede and Jane struggle to be Fred's caregiver. Jane takes him to college where he befriends Eddie (Harry Connick Jr.) after getting hit with a globe.It's a fine family drama most notable for being Jodie Foster's directorial debut in a full length movie. The kid has the gawky nerd look. Foster and Wiest are terrific. I wish they had more scenes together. Their relationships with the kid are the most interesting. In general, I would like the characters have more interactions together. I would like characters like Damon to stay in the picture. I wish there was a destination for the kid to aim for. It's an interesting coming-of-age movie with some underdeveloped relationships.

It is rather unfortunate that "Little Man Tate" did not get all the success it deserved.It may be due to the fact that cinema enthusiasts in USA and elsewhere were not at ready to receive such kind of a different yet intelligent film.This charming,poetic,out of the box film was like a bolt from the blue for them.The problem is that most of the times people are interested in pure Hollywood films or in uncommon,peculiar independent films from USA.Little Man Tate did not belong to any of these categories as Jodie Foster created a film which could not be easily pigeonholed.This film's star attraction is young actor Adam Hann Byrd who gives astounding performance as young genius Fred Tate.As Jane Grierson,Fred Tate's educator,Dianne Wiest too plays an important role in the film.We get to see glimpses of Fred Tate's turbulent life which gets metamorphosed when he is found to have qualities of a creative genius at a very young age.His life takes a turn for the worst when he finds that his stature of precocious child has deprived him of his natural growth and a normal childhood.Little Man Tate is good film for all those who would like to be enlightened, entertained,educated and motivated.

In many respects savants, polymaths and autodidacts are in the same fix as slow learners, retards and idiots. They're all "special ed" cases, estranged from "normal" society by their intellectual "superiority/inferiority."They share similar problems in classrooms; namely, the tendency to be bored, frustrated and/or disruptive. It's not easy being either too advanced or slow. "Little Man Tate" dramatizes the plight of a "super-gifted" seven-year-old, subtly played by Adam Hann-Byrd. Little Fred Tate must cope not only with normal problems of childhood but also his extraordinary mental gifts which set him far apart from fellow children his age. After feeling a lack of empathy from his mother (caringly portrayed by Jodie Foster) and his teacher-mentor (sensitively executed by Dianne Wiest) Fred reaches out to a college student who befriends him. Unfortunately, that relationship comes to a disappointing end when the older chum tells him that he must seek out kids his own age. Scott Frank's script may have its peaks and valleys, yet its heart's in the right place, and he concludes his little drama on a happy (if tidy) note. Jodie Foster directs with concern and reveals genuine promise.