Credits

Little Children DVD Review

By Tony Farinella
May 1, 2007 - 17:26

Little Children

2006, USA

Starring: Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Gregg Edelman

Directed by: Todd Field

Written by: Todd Field, Tom Perrotta (also novel)

Produced by: Albert Berger, Todd Field, Ron Yerxa

Genres: Drama

Release Date: November 3, 2006

MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong sexuality and nudity, language and some disturbing content.

Distributor: New Line Cinema

What have we learned from watching movies? We have learned that suburbia is one messed up place! It might appear normal on the surface, but it's filled with drugs, sex, and counseling. This was shown in 1999's "American Beauty", which ended up winning The Best Picture Oscar. Before that, David Lynch and Robert Redford also showed us a unique side of suburbia. Needless to say, we all have a Frank Booth in our neck of the woods. While the formula can be successful, it can also be fake. It takes a truly talented director to pull it off. Thankfully, we are in good hands with this film. You might remember Todd Field from 2001's "In the Bedroom," which was one of my favorite films from that year. He's a master at creating mood, tension, and drama in his films. He creates films that get inside your head and stay there. With "Little Children," he's created perhaps his best film. It's thoughtful, surprising, and brutally frank.

We open up our film following Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet) at a local park with a group of nosy mothers. Sarah is currently married to Richard (Gregg Edelman), who is too busy with work to notice Sarah. When he's not working, he's looking up porno on his computer. Needless to say, their relationship is not exactly on the best of terms. This causes Sarah to take an interest in Brad (Patrick Wilson). You might remember Patrick Wilson from "Hard Candy." Thankfully, he doesn't have to deal with any castration in this film. This doesn't stop the group of nosy mothers from talking about castration. They use the word to describe what they would like to do to Ronnie (Jackie Earle Haley). You might remember him as the troublemaker from the original "Bad News Bears." In this film, he plays a pedophile who is returning home after serving jail time. Because this town is filled with kids, nobody wants him around. This includes Larry (Noah Emmerich), who is currently putting together a campaign to get rid of him.

Back to Sarah and Brad, they start to fool around despite the fact that both of them are married. Brad is married to Kathy, who is played by Jennifer Connelly. Their relationship is strained because Brad is currently unemployed. Brad is a stay-at-home dad who keeps putting off work of any kind. When he's not with Sarah, he's playing football with Larry. Back to Ronnie, he's attempting to get some semblance of a normal life together. This is easier said than done for Ronnie. He just can't stop his sexual urges. This worries his poor mother deeply. She worries about what will happen to Ronnie when she passes away. Ronnie is basically a big kid who never grew up. He relies on his mother for everything. He can't even wash a dish without her help. Not only that, he still calls her "mommy." Chris Hansen would have a field day with this guy. She attempts to set him up on a date with a girl. This leads to disastrous results. Can Ronnie get his life back on track? Will Sarah and Brad get caught? Will Kathy find out? How will the children be affected?

"Little Children" is not an easy film to watch. This film is strictly for smart moviegoers. You won't be smiling or cheering after this film is over. This is not an easy film to watch for 2 hours and 17 minutes. I don't think I'd ever want to watch the film again. That being said, it's quite beautiful to watch the first time. It doesn't offer any easy answers to the problems at hand. Not only that, the film doesn't have one likable adult character. After I finished watching it, I wasn't sure if I liked it. I needed a few minutes to really think about the film. Once I started thinking about it, I couldn't get the film out of my head. I kept flip flopping with my thoughts on different characters. Did I like that person? I found myself up all night thinking about the situations in the film. This is not a film that tells you who to like and who to hate. It leaves that up to you. Even so, I couldn't figure out who to blame in this film. I also couldn't figure out who to cheer for. Even as I write this review, I'm still stumped. I'm also still thinking about this film.

Special Features: None

Final Thoughts: "Little Children" is a film that you won't soon forget. While you might not like it, (and I can understand why) you'll at least be thinking about it. The film is a lot like real life. It doesn't have any answers to the problems in the film. On the same token, do we have any answers about life? Why do people like Cho shoot up Virgina Tech? Why do pedophiles exist? Why do people cheat on each other? Why don't people communicate? As soon as we start asking questions, we might be able to find some answers. On the same token, we might not come up with any answers. That being said, at least we are trying to come up with answers. The minute we stop asking questions, we are in trouble. Without questions, we don't have solutions. Without solutions, we still have problems. Films like "Little Children" don't come along every day. When they do, we should support them. I think they make us better people.

Grade: A-

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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