and one not so little man…..

It’s been a while since we last went to the cinema to check out another opus from Hollywoodland, and this time, we’re going off the beaten path to look at a film that got its premiere at this year’s Sundance Festival and on the face of it from the trailer, just looked as if it had award bait written all over it. Directed by Ira Sachs, who has never come up on the radar before at all, and therefore I wasn’t sure what to expect either.

However, rather than be about men with small penises which the arts world would cry over, Little Men actually is about two boys, played by Theo Taplitz as Jake Jardine and Michael Barbieri as Tony Calvelli. it’s the first time seeing them on screen, and I couldn’t help but think that half the time, Theo Taplitz looked like the chap with the broken legs from Game of Thrones.

Anyway, the two likely lads became best friends when a death of Greg Kinnear’s father brings two families together, as one family takes ownership of a shop the other’s mother (played by Paulina Garcia) does business in. In essence, this film is about something which could happen in real life and how what happens gets dealt with along with the meh of going to school and pretending to give a s*it about other people in and out of the classroom. Even to the point of getting into a fight when someone thinks your best friend is gay. School and the people in it even as years have gone by, are still a**holes.

The two boys get on like a house on fire, despite clear differences in their attitudes on life and behaviour. But as mentioned, slowly we see life get in the way, as basically Greg Kinnear (playing Brian Jardine whose father passed away) and his sister find they need cash and therefore have to charge three times as much rent for the store as before. This causes Paulina to get hostile and basically make personal attacks at Greg, until finally notice is served for her to leave.

No, you got me stuck with this Brooklyn accent!

The performances from all involved were actually very good, to the point you would think that actually this may have been reality TV. Greg Kinnear is struggling with having to be the bad guy, and the two boys just act like they’ve been friends for years and not just having met. It was even funny in certain parts, with a girl blowing off the lad interested in her by stating she only liked older men. Trust me brother, we’ve all been there, I felt your pain. Paulina Garcia also was at times brutal in how she was attempting to guilt trip Greg into not putting up the rent, stating she was more family than he was to his father. But it was all just a tough front as finally she had to accept her fate and just emotionally broke down.

In many ways, this film about about modern life when growing up as a teenager and as adults, where situations develop beyond your control, where they can even get in the way and change things whether you like it or not. It also shows that in time, you adapt and move on, and all without truly shoving it down your throat either.

This was a pocket of existence for everyone involved and actually did invoke emotion during the 80 minute screening. It never felt like it outstayed its welcome and remarkably felt very real, and grounded with a real problem that more than likely is occurring in New York every day to someone; dealing with real estate price increases.

It sounds dull and yes, it would not be the type of film I would actively seek out to watch, especially given how I had been over the past few months, but it was quite fascinating to watch, with well developed characters, and very believable reactions to what goes on. Would this be a film to recommend seeing? Actually yes, though maybe from the comfort of your own home instead of the big screen. It never outstayed its welcome, despite the slow pace at times and awkward situations. It’s a personal experience and maybe away from a crowd munching on their popcorn, would you then get sucked into the plights of 13 year old boys and their parents.