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Little Man Tate (1991)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
11 October 1991 (USA) moreTagline:
It's not what he knows. It's what he understands.Plot:
Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius,... more | add synopsisAwards:
1 win moreUser Comments:
Through the Eyes of a Child... more (31 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Jodie Foster | ... | Dede Tate | |
| Dianne Wiest | ... | Jane Grierson | |
| Adam Hann-Byrd | ... | Fred Tate | |
| Harry Connick Jr. | ... | Eddie | |
| David Hyde Pierce | ... | Garth Emmerick (as David Pierce) | |
| Debi Mazar | ... | Gina | |
| P.J. Ochlan | ... | Damon Wells | |
| Alex Lee | ... | Fred Tate at 2 | |
| Michael Shulman | ... | Matt Montini | |
| Nathan Lee | ... | Matt's Teammate | |
| Celia Weston | ... | Miss Nimvel | |
| Danitra Vance | ... | Clinic Doctor | |
| Richard Fredette | ... | Bartender | |
| George Plimpton | ... | Winston F. Buckner | |
| Jennifer Trier | ... | Grierson Institute Teacher |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
99 minCountry:
USAColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1994) | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Most school scenes were filmed at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house served as the home/office of Jane Grierson (Dianne Wiest). moreGoofs:
Factual errors: There are several errors in simple mathematics in the movie: Firstly, Damon "The Mathemagician" Wells correctly states that there are 25 228 800 seconds in 48 years, then says that this is 151 368 000 seconds. This is clearly wrong as 25 228 800 x 60 is 1 513 728 000 (more than 10 times as much). Furthermore, Fred says that the cube root of 3 796 466 is 156 although 156*156*156 is 3 796 416. moreQuotes:
Make-Up Woman: [Fred is getting ready to go on TV] Now remember sweet face, zillions of people all over the world are gonna be watching you; and that means no farting, no picking your nose and no playing with little Mr. Peabody. moreSoundtrack:
Mozart's String Quartet No 21, D Major, KV575 moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (31 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Little Man Tate (1991)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Terrible | Yoda101382 |
| What is the point? | thirsch-2 |
| Piano piece played by Fred | ffriedel |
| Filming Locations | Edward-Ringwald |
| Am I stupid or... | filmluvr81 |
| Music when end titles come on | johnwinds |
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I've long been a fan of Jodie Foster's acting, and upon my first viewing of "Little Man Tate", I can now say I'm a fan of her directorial talents as well.
The story is of Fred Tate, son of single mother Dede. It's found that, at the age of 2, Fred can already read the print on the bottom of a dinner plate. Dede, and the rest of the world, realize that Fred is a genius, but Dede is determined that Fred, while given ever opportunity to expand his gift, is not exploited by the well meaning, but pretentious head mistress of a school for gifted children, Jane Grierson, portrayed by the outstanding actress Dianne Wiest.
The story's told, mainly, through the eyes of Fred; however, we also see the viewpoints of Dede & Jane who each feel that she alone has Fred's best interests at heart. We are given tremendous insight into how Fred sees and relates to the world around him. He has the understanding that's beyond most adults but only the emotional experience of his 7 years of life.
Through Fred, we can see that the academic world of gifted children isn't just filled with the nice, polite, precocious, bespectacled children that we are often shown on news magazines or public television programs. We are allowed to see that some are as outright rude and pretentious as the adults who claim to be only nurturing their gifts.
In her feature-film directorial debut, Foster is able to capture the world as Fred sees it. She's able still allow us to see Fred as the youngster he is. Fred's intellect isn't the basis of the story, just one element in it. She lets the story do the work, and she let's the character's tell the tale. She allows the characters to be real people not just the stereotypes that so often are found in films dealing with this subject matter.
Jodie Foster's only directed two films since this one ("Home For The Holidays"-1995 & "Flora Plum"-2005), and I've seen "Home For The Holidays" which I also feel was very well done. It seems that Ms. Foster is being very careful in picking her projects, much like the late Stanley Kubrick did. I only hope her unique talents are recognized and she's given more green lights for future projects.