Tadpole
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Movie Reviews of Tadpole
Movie Review: Have a sense of humor
Summary: 5 Stars
Of course it is a little unrealistic, but this movie is a humorous look at the desires and needs of men and women. If you do not appreciate outrageous plot twists (well, just a couple of them) this movie is not for you. It follows a fourteen year old boy Oscar home from boarding school on Christmas vacation. Oscar is different from other boys as he reads Voltaire and is desperately in love with his step mother. The film can be considered "different" but you must be able to accept these things in order to truly appreciate everything "Tadpole" is.Movie Review: Digital Video
Summary: 5 Stars
Tadpole Was Shot On A Sony PD150(PAL) And Is A Great Film To Study If you are a filmmaker like me. because i own a pd150(NTSC) i saw that you can make funny and cinematic films in DV. I Love This Movie For DV Studying.Movie Review: Full of Biting and Sardonic Wit
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a beautifully shot film with an excellent script. The acting was wonderful and in particular Neuwerth stood out. The wit was biting and terrifically amusing. An excellent film.Movie Review: Fast swimmer...
Summary: 4 Stars
There is something about `Tadpole' that is so nerdy charming I can't help but recall it with affectionate memories. It is far from perfect, and yet the little imperfections that plague it only seem to make it better for me. It's not the type of wildly engaging comedy that can be watched over and over again but it is the type of smartly comedic film that you will remember for a long while, even after a solitary viewing.
Watching the film on a total whim, I was surprised by how witty and devilishly sophisticated it wound up being.
The film tells the story of Oscar, a young man with quite the conundrum. He is, unfortunately, in love with his step-mother Eve. The fact that Eve is married to Oscar's father really doesn't deter him much from attempting to make his feelings known. He takes the Thanksgiving break (and subsequent visit home from school) to find a way to expose his feelings only to have romantic entanglements get in the way. Before he knows it he is being followed (quite accidentally) by a fellow schoolmate with a crush, pushed on a neighbor with which he shares no interest and thrust into sexual debauchery with Eve's best friend, Diane. All of these `road-blocks' make it more and more difficult for Oscar to just tell Eve how he feels.
But then again, does it really matter?
The cast is flawless, especially Bebe Neuwirth who just sizzles in every scene with comedic delights and snarky charm that just floods the screen. She is a star and the star of this film whenever the light is cast her way. Sigourney Weaver is a tad frumpy here, but I think that was the point (casting a more mature light on Oscar's infatuation) and the late John Ritter is certainly up to the task and making his character shine. Aaron Stanford understands the muted arrogance needed to create Oscar and keep the audience interested in him. He rides the cuff of unlikable and engaging, which helps carry the film.
Sadly, the strengths of the script and cast seem to fall through the directors hands. The film needed some crisper, more attentive direction that could have really embellished the already strong material. Instead, the muted brushstrokes of Gary Winick (the man behind '13 Going on 30' and `Bride Wars') can create a dullish tone to the film. Hey, this is Winick's best film to date, but it may be his least imaginative directorial effort.
Still, this is a must see; a film I highly recommend!
Movie Review: Very funny; absolutely loved it.
Summary: 4 Stars
Summary:Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford) is a 15-year old high school sophomore who is deeply interested in literature and has lately been reading Voltaire. Perhaps in conjunction with or more likely as a result, Oscar has developed a very deep romantic and sexual interest for older women and one woman in particular, his stepmother, Eve Grubman (Sigourney Weaver). When Oscar comes homes for Thanksgiving with his father and stepmother, Oscar has committed himself to break the news to Eve. Before he gets a chance, he gets drunk and, imagining Eve's best friend, Diane Lodder (Bebe Neuwirth), to be Eve because she is wearing Eve's scarf, Oscar has sex with her. Perhaps it wouldn't be a problem except, remember, Oscar is 15 and Diane is over 40 and Eve's best friend. Now Oscar has to convince his dad, Stanley Grubman (John Ritter), that he is a normal 15 year-old and also explain to Eve why he slept with her best friend when he actually wanted to be sleeping with her.
My Comments:
I don't know that my summary did the movie justice. I think I may have made it out to be more malicious than humorous and if that's the case, then you'll just have to see this movie to understand how what might be a seen as disturbing situation is actually a very funny comedy.
The story is superb and the acting is pretty good overall. Bebe Neuwirth and Aaron Stanford are very convincing and Sigourney Weaver is only slightly less so. The only problems with this movie, and I hate to make this criticism because I really do advocate a change from film to digital, are the picture quality and the cinematography. I'm guessing the movie was filmed using lower quality digital cameras. The cameras have a hard time focusing at times and a lot of quick motion turns into blurred motion. I believe digital is the way of the future, but perhaps the technology for anyone to make a major motion picture using their Circuit City bought digital camera isn't quite there yet.
Despite the picture problems, the movie is loads of fun and lots of laughs. I should also point out that young men sleeping with much older women, in case you haven't already realized this, is going to be very disturbing to some people. Well, if you find it very, very disturbing, you may want to skip this one. If you think you can look past that to be entertained by a very enjoyable movie, then you should definitely see this film.