Tadpole (2002)

Director:

Gary Winick

Writers:

Heather McGowan (story) &
Niels Mueller (story) ...

Release Date:

7 November 2002 (Israel)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Everyone says he should date girls his own age. Oscar respectfully disagrees.

Plot:

Coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy, Oscar, who falls in love with his stepmother, Eve.

Plot Keywords:

Stepmother | Best Friend | Coming Of Age | Voltaire | Thanksgiving

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Aaron Stanford	...	Oscar Grubman
Kate Mara	...	Miranda Spear
Robert Iler	...	Charlie
Peter Appel	...	Jimmy - Doorman
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Diane Lodder
Ron Rifkin	...	Professor Tisch
Alicia Van Couvering	...	Daphne Tisch
John Ritter	...	Stanley Grubman
Sigourney Weaver	...	Eve Grubman
Paul Butler	...	Professor Sherman
Michael Connors	...	Man in Bar (as Michael W. Connors)
Theo Kogan	...	Woman in Bar
Adam LeFevre	...	Phil
Hope Chernov	...	Samantha Steadman
Debbon Ayer	...	Jean

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, mature thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39070)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

During various unused takes, local residents Jerry Seinfeld, Joel Coen, and Frances McDormand happened to wander through the frame.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Oscar and Charlie are riding in the car, the scenery outside Charlie's window moves twice as fast as the scenery outside Oscar's window.

Quotes:

Diane: Oscar and I...
Oscar: Both speak French!
Diane: Oscar and I... are lovers.
Eve: What?
Oscar: What? Are you drunk?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Anatomy of a Scene: Tadpole" (????)

Soundtrack:

Hemlock Row

I laughed the whole way through.

I don't think I can give an intellectual critique of this movie, because I reacted to it in a very emotional way: I loved it. I laughed all the way through. The thing that struck me so funny wasn't the dialogue so much as the facial expressions of the performers (though I did laugh every time Bebe Neuwirth opened her mouth.) The look on Charlie's face when he finds out Oscar is in love with his stepmother, the amused look on Diane's face as she watches Oscar panic during dinner at the French restaurant...I could go on.

Also, John Ritter performs the funniest choke take I have ever seen, during the aforementioned French restaurant scene. In short, I enjoyed this movie immensely and have already recommended it to all of my friends.

Finally, in response to the person who found the Voltaire quotes pretentious: I agree, but I think that was the point. After all, a 15 year old who reads Voltaire and thinks girls his age are beneath him is pretty damn pretentious himself.