Customer Reviews

Tadpole

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A movie I've seen just a couple of days back at the Seattle International Film Festival, this reminded me most of The Graduate, simply because both films are about not quite mature boys who get seduced by older women. The comparison stops there, however, because as classic as The Graduate is, Tadpole has far more charm and humor. And the performance of Aaron Stanford, playing a 15-year-old boy in love with his French, sophisticated, beautiful stepmother (Weaver), is just as breakthrough as Dustin Hoffman's had been in its time.

Tadpole, our hero, comes home from school for the holidays, quoting Voltaire and aspiring to greater heights of human emotion. A few setbacks at the beginning send him to alcohol and the arms of an older woman, his stepmother Eve's best friend. Quickly he finds himself caught in the intrigues and complexities of the adult world which he navigates with courage but no skill. The humor comes naturally from the story.

As Oedipan as the tale may sound, the light, sympathetic way in which it was directed by Gary Winick with a 35-mm camera, and the natural resolution of the drama let us empathize with the protagonist and his quest. We've all been there, in a sense, wishing ourselves older and more experienced, while stuck in a 15-year-old body. The audience gave the movie an ovation - granted, a common occurrence at the festival. Still, not every movie gets one, and not every movie gets a prize at Sundance. Worth seeing twice.

"Tadpole" is a very gentle story of unrequited love; but in this scenario we have a stepson Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford) longing for the mind, body and soul of his stepmother Eve (Sigourney Weaver). Gary Winick has directed this film with one eye on "The Graduate" and the other on "Oedipus Rex": a pretty potent combination.
Oscar Grubman is fifteen, infatuated with the writings of Voltaire and in love with life and learning as well as his stepmom. He has come home to NYC from boarding school for Thanksgiving and through a series of circumstances, mostly having to do with his consumption of large quantities of whiskey, ends up in bed with his stepmom's friend, Diane (Bebe Neuwirth). A large portion of this very short film is spent on Oscar attempting to keep Diane from telling Eve about the fling.
"Tadpole" made a big splash at Sundance last year and I think it was because it is so likeable as a film and in Aaron Stanford's performance as Oscar. "You can count on me" made a similar impact at Sundance a couple of years ago. So much of what is seen at Sundance is so downbeat and depressing that both of these life-affirming films must have seemed like a breath of fresh air to the judges.
With all that said, "Tadpole" is indeed a nice way to spend an hour or so: nothing major, nothing earth-shaking...just a quiet, smart, well acted film about the heart and where it can sometimes take us.

This is a low-budget dramatic comedy that tackles the older woman/younger man tale, throwing in a few interesting plot twists. Aaron Stanford plays Oscar Grubman, a mature fifteen year old who is part Holden Caulfield, part Benjamin from the graduate, and part, as another reviewer pointed out, Oedipus Rex. Stanford's film debut is auspicious-I expect we will see good things in the future from this actor.

John Ritter is effective as the oblivious father; I didn't even recognize him behind the beard. I was never a big John Ritter fan, but here he is quite effective. Sigourney Weaver is beautiful and sexy as the stepmother (she should be the poster child for "aging gracefully"!). Bebe Neuwirth is hysterical and wonderful as Diane, the older woman who introduces Oscar to the joys of sex. The scene in the restaurant, where Oscar meets some of Diane's friends, is priceless, and all her scenes with Aaron Stanford are delightful.

I found the film to be upbeat, fun, funny, and an enjoyable portrait of the challenges of growing up and learning about sex.

Shot in less than two weeks on digital video, this charming, lightweight 2002 comedy indeed has the murky look of a home movie complete with shaky camera shots and orange-tinted graininess. If you can overlook that, you will see some smart performances by an unusually high-profile cast and clever writing by Heather McGowan & Niels Mueller in this coming-of-age concoction from director Gary Winick. The plot focuses on Oscar Grubman, a Voltaire-quoting fifteen year old who overanalyzes the world around him like a pubescent Woody Allen, so naturally he is not interested in girls his own age but his attractive stepmother Eve, a medical researcher who can wax poetically about the heart. However, things get even more complicated when he falls into a drunken one-night stand with Eve's best friend, Diane, a free-spirited massage therapist who doesn't come across so much as a hedonist but rather sensible about the ways of love. Naturally Oscar's father Stanley is completely ignorant of what's going on, as is Eve until Oscar confesses his love for her.

At a running time of only 77 minutes, this all speeds by quickly thanks to Winick's overly efficient pacing, and except for Oscar, the characters aren't given much time to be fully drawn out. Aaron Stanford, a 25-year old playing a decade younger, portrays Oscar expertly, updating a younger version of Benjamin Braddock from "The Graduate" for the new millennium. And fortunately, Winick recruited the still-luminous Sigourney Weaver as Eve, as she plays her role with a deadpan sincerity befitting the preoccupied stepmother. The late John Ritter plays Stanley without condescending to his befuddled character, but the best performance comes from Bebe Neuwirth, sexy and frisky as Diane. The restaurant scene with the four of them dodging and ultimately discovering the truth of Oscar and Diane's tryst is very well-played out with Neuwirth particularly funny in her insouciance. Even Robert Iler, Tony Jr. from "The Sopranos", shows up as Oscar's best friend Charlie, whose down-to-earth doofus provides a nice contrast to Oscar's often pretentious intellect. This is hardly a cinematic milestone, and frankly it makes a case for using the digital video medium sparingly. But it does provide quiet laughs and insightful if rather predictable observations.

At 77 minutes this film really packs a wallop---hilarious most of the way through, but also poignant and incisive at turns.

I rented this film mainly because I absolutely love both Sigourney Weaver and Bebe Neuwirth but I had low expectations, thinking it was probably going to be another "The Graduate" knockoff with the sort of pretentious deadness of "Rushmore."

Instead I was pleasantly surprised: while "Tadpole" does make a couple of self-conscious and coy allusions to "The Graduate" (one of my all-time favorites that I've seen dozens of times) it definitely has its own unique style and flavor. Aaron Stanford is no Dustin Hoffman but is more than up to the role, portraying the super-bright, gawky teenager very adroitly. Weaver and Neuwirth put in excellent performances as is their norm, Neuwirth especially packs an ungodly amount of devastating sexual magnetism in every scene, with every glance and gesture and word---ay yi yi, I kept wanting to kick Stanford for not being elated to have HER fall into his lap!

The other really side-splitting supplier of comic relief here is John Ritter, who plays the brainy but clueless college professor with delightful aplomb...I didn't even realize he was John Ritter until the credits!

All in all this is a light film but utterly delightful, it's too bad it's not at least an extra 30 minutes longer.

Some reviewers have complained about the digital camera picture often being washed out but I found it perfectly fine, my only objection was a bit of excessive camera movement during the first 15 minutes of the movie. Otherwise everything comes together marvelously: the strong script and cast, score, camera work, film editing, etc. For the 2 weeks of filming and shoestring $150,000 budget they really put together a very high quality piece of work. How refreshing to see a film that dares to do whatever the hell it wants however it wants, without boring the audience to tears!

There are a lot of things to like about this movie. The acting is excellent. The script is well written and there are more than a few laugh-out-loud funny scenes in it.

The reason I am only giving it 3 stars is because I feel it never really "moved" me. After watching it, I felt as though I had watched a good movie, but nothing about it is really original or mind blowing. It's just a small quirky movie, and at only 77 minutes I was disappointed with the abrumpt ending.

Having said that, Tadpole is certainly worth seeing and is 100 times better than most of the "Blockbusters" that go on to gross hundreds of millions.

This enjoyable comedy (shot on digital video) with a refreshingly brief running time (approx 75 minutes) won Writer/Director Gary Winick the Best Director award at the Sundance Festival.
Aaron Stanford plays Oscar Grubman (nicknamed Tadpole), a 15 year old who has no interest in girls his own age. By his own admission he feels like a 40 year old trapped in a teen's body. Tadpole's preference for older women reaches the point of chaos when he develop a crush on his stunning stepmother Eve (Sigourney Weaver).
But his attentions are also focused on the equalling sexy Diane (Bebe Neuwirth) whom he meets during an under-aged drinking session in a local bar. An affair soon starts between them and Oscar must try and keep the romance secret from his Dad (the late John Ritter) while wrestling with his feelings for Eve.
Basically TADPOLE is a romantic comedy that merges the classic romantic triangle with a dash of the classic Oedipus syndrome. The resulting movie is an enjoyable time-killer that manages to be both light in tone but with more complexity below the surface than you would expect. While it sounds like some sex comedy you've seen a million times before TADPOLE manages to consistently surprise the viewer without insulting their intelligence (obviously this is an independent movie).
This is one of those rare movies that will appeal to just about any audience. Guys are especially advised to rent this if their girlfriends want them to watch something with them. The brief running time you may be able to talk her into watching an action movie after this has finished! While not hugely memorable, the movie has heart, sincerity and intelligence (Uh-oh! Here comes my feminine side!) as well as all round good performances. The DVD I watched had no special features, but the movie is still worth a look. If you're a romantic comedy buff you'll easily give this movie a higher rating than the three stars I've given it. Which leads us to THE BIG QUESTION: Why is Oscar nicknamed "Tadpole"? Do the math: One 15 year old boy with raging hormones plus two sexy older women. Put that together and close your eyes. What do you see? I see the opening credits to LOOK WHO'S TALKING....
Perhaps I'd be wise to stop my review here. Maybe this IS meant to be a movie to watch with the missus! If that's the case insert this into your DVD player, pop some popcorn, pop some Viagra and Bob's your uncle. Viola! There's your night planned!

Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford) arrives in New York City by train as he has a short vacation from Chauncey Academy where he attends high school. Oscar is to celebrate Thanksgiving with his father Stanley (John Ritter) and stepmother Eve (Sigourney Weaver), but it is about to be a peculiar experience for Oscar since he has fallen deeply in love with his stepmother. The love that Oscar has for Eve causes friction between him and his dad who attempts to make it an enjoyable break for his son. By a coincidence Oscar ends up in bed with Eve's best friend Diane (Bebe Neuwirth), which causes some additional awkwardness for Oscar as he spends his break in New York. Tadpole is an excellent drama about coming of age and the youthful discovery of love that can sometimes be misunderstood. The story unfolds with remarkable ease as it displays the misfortunes and tragedies that can be connected with love, leaving the audience with a brilliant cinematic experience.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I thoroughly enjoyed this little film, which I came across entirely by accident. The premise is intriguing with a cast - Sigourney Weaver, John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth - guaranteed to provide real acting, although young Aaron Stanford easily steals the show (Bebe gives him a good run for the money though). The script is articulate and witty (quite rare qualities these days) and intelligence is displayed in all other departments. Apart from Bebe Neuwirth's vampish turns, it is not a laugh out loud comedy - but you find yourself smiling a lot while watching it.

My wife and I repeatedly commented during the film about how much it reminded us of one of Francois Truffaut's films - particularly the Antoine Doinel stories. The similarities between Oscar and Antoine are truly striking and the overall French flavour of the piece is surely not accidental. Other reviewers have complained about the directorial style and look of Tadpole, but this a large part of its charm. In fact, the Truffaut influence is what really endeared the film to us.

Yes, the running time is somewhat short but you still feel satisfied at the end. Tadpole is a film for anyone who appreciates something a little bit different.

What a surprise. It's too bad the movie trailers made the film look like a sex fest because this film is actually a very touching account of the adolescent struggle. Although Aaron Stanford, the 15 year old anti-hero, was completely oogy and gross, Bebe Neuwirth & Sigourney Weaver were able to be completely believable as the objects of his affection. And, despite his general unattractiveness there was a delicious energy throughout the whole film...I found myself experiencing the same feelings I had when reading Catcher in the Rye (although this movie is about a poseur who just wants to bag his stepmother and not on the level of intellect as that great work!).