Plot: What’s it about?
Dede Tate (Jodie Foster) is a single mother trying to raise her young son Fred (Adam Hann-Byrd), who is rather quiet, but a well mannered young man. Fred has a lot of talents also, such as being a gifted artist, math whiz, and he can even play up a storm on the piano. He is only seven years old, but his mind has advanced beyond his years, which has caused some other issues, which aren’t as positive as the others. It seems his school performance has suffered, as he is bored with the material and in addition, the other kids single him out and pick on him. Dede wants to allow Fred to grow into his full potential, but she would also like for him to have a normal childhood, which a private school could hamper. As she follows the advice of a psychologist (Dianne Wiest), Dede enrolls Fred into an advanced school, where his skills can be enriched at a better pace. But Fred ends up worse off than ever, which leaves Dede with some hard choices to make…
This is a solid movie in all respects, but it never moves up to that next level, so it remains firmly planted in good, as opposed to great. I think given the circumstances, Little Man Tate is better than most films of its kind, even with some flaws present at times. Of course, the movie often takes a trip down cliched roads and that’s expected, as this kind of flick sort of has to at times, unless some very unusual plot devices are used. But the cliches are well handled here and never become focused upon, which keeps them from dragging down the whole show. I do praise director Jodie Foster for keeping this out of the sap laden areas, as these kind of pictures often fall into overly sappy moments, but not in Little Man Tate. Foster also hands in a wonderful performance in front of the camera, joined by Dianne Wiest, Harry Connick, Jr., and Adam Hann-Byrd, all of whom seem solid in their roles here. In the end, this is a good movie with some good performances, which tackles a topic we’ve seen done before, but not often this well. I recommend this release to those interested, as MGM has issued a decent treatment at a fantastic price.
We’re used to being dazzled by her work in front of the camera, but with Little Man Tate, Jodie Foster made her feature film debut as a director. Unlike most actors who make the move to direction, Foster takes a low key approach and it works very well, especially given the small scale, intimate nature of the material involved. But she also serves as a performer in one of the lead roles, which had to add even more pressure, I think. Foster is able to deliver on both counts however, with her usual terrific effort in front of the camera. I think her scenes with her character’s son are the film’s finest moments, without a doubt. You can also see Foster in such films as The Silence of the Lambs, Taxi Driver, The Accused, Maverick, Nell, and Contact. The cast also includes Dianne Wiest (Practical Magic, Parenthood), Harry Connick, Jr. (Copycat, Hope Floats), and David Hyde Pierce (The Fisher King, Nixon).
Video: How does it look?
Little Man Tate is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I was not too impressed with the results, but the image is stable and looks more than decent. The grain is more evident than I had expected, which results in a rather soft, sometimes worn visual appearance. Even so, the colors look stable, flesh tones seem natural, and black levels are more than solid, although none are quite as on the mark as they could be. This is not a terrible visual presentation by any means, but I do think it should have been better.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is not the kind of movie to showcase the home theater with, but the included Dolby Digital 5.1 track handles the material very well. As this is a dialogue driven picture, there is minimal surround presence and as such, the front channels shoulder much of the audio burden. It all sounds good though, very clean and well placed, never forced or unnatural in the least. The music is clean and sounds alive in this mix, while dialogue is clear and always at a proper volume balance. This disc also includes language options & subtitles in Spanish and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer, as well as an audio commentary with director/star Jodie Foster. Although she isn’t always talking in this session, Foster offers some good insight when she does speak, so it all levels out. I wouldn’t say this is the most information rich track I’ve heard, but fans of the film will want to give it a listen.
