Tadpole (2002)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

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:

The film was criticized at the Sundance Festival for its poor technical quality. It was shot on video and suffered from blown out backgrounds, inconsistent color, poor night shots, etc.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Oscar helps Eve wash the dishes, before he kisses her, the bowls on the shelf in front of them change, (the rice bowls on the left front) change to behind the saucers.

Quotes:

Charlie: So this means that you slept with Dianne.
Oscar: I realize now that was a mistake. I was drunk, she was wearing Eve's scarf, it smelled of her perfume, I got confused.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major Opus 9

3 stars (out of 4)

Oscar Grubman (newcomer Aaron Stanford, who is really about 25 years old) is a precocious high school sophomore. *Really* precocious. He regularly speaks French in his normal life, and seems to always be reading Voltaire (the one liners seen throughout the film as inter-titles are apparently Voltaire quotes).

The film happens over a long Thanksgiving weekend in New York City. We first see Oscar on the train on his way home, briefly talking to a pretty classmate who seems interested in him. After she leaves, Oscar's friend Charlie (Robert Iler from "The Sopranos"), who may be the sanest character in the film, asks Oscar about her, and Oscar dismisses her by saying that her hands are those of a baby. Apparently he appreciates hands that show more character.

We soon learn that the hands he really likes belong to Eve (Sigourney Weaver). She's a medical researcher, whose marriage to Oscar's father, Stanley (John Ritter), makes her Oscar's stepmother. Oscar does not seem deterred by this little obstacle. I can see his point, as I am also a huge fan of Weaver's (even going so far as to see "Heartbreakers"), but the age difference is pretty extreme, not to mention that little almost incest issue.

Diane (Bebe Neuwirth from "Cheers"), is a chiropractor who is Eve's best friend. *You might want to skip the rest of this paragraph if you don't know much about the film already.* Oscar runs into Diane late at night after drinking too much, and when he smells Eve's perfume on a scarf Diane borrowed, Oscar "accidentally" ends up sleeping with her. This scenario is of course reminiscent of "The Graduate," although Oscar's age causes some to question whether this is comedy or statutory rape. I vote for the former, and in fact Oscar's inexplicable ability to easily be served alcohol in a neighborhood bar bothered me more.

Much comedy ensues. In fact, it occurred to me later that low budget independent films are rarely comedies, and even more rarely this well done. The writing was was only adequate to good, but the performances were very good, especially from Bebe Neuwirth. And some of the wordless reaction shots are priceless.

The film was shot on digital video and transferred to film for distribution to most theaters. I have read complaints about the quality, but it seemed tolerable to me, except perhaps in the opening shots from the train. What matters is that it is not distracting.

I enjoyed this film quite a bit. It isn't life altering in the slightest, but it isn't trying to be. It's definitely worth checking out.

Seen on 8/31/2002.