Little Man Tate (1991)

Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that ... See full summary »

Director:

Jodie Foster

Writer:

Scott Frank

Stars:

Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest, Adam Hann-Byrd

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jodie Foster	...	Dede Tate
Dianne Wiest	...	Jane Grierson
Adam Hann-Byrd	...	Fred Tate
Harry Connick Jr.	...	Eddie
David Hyde Pierce	...	Garth Emmerick (as David Pierce)
Debi Mazar	...	Gina
P.J. Ochlan	...	Damon Wells
Alex Lee	...	Fred Tate at 2
Michael Shulman	...	Matt Montini
Nathan Lee	...	Matt's Teammate
Celia Weston	...	Miss Nimvel
Danitra Vance	...	Clinic Doctor
Richard Fredette	...	Bartender
George Plimpton	...	Winston F. Buckner
Jennifer Trier	...	Grierson Institute Teacher

Storyline

Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that he is not taken advantage of by people who forget that his extremely powerful intellect is harboured in the body and emotions of a child.

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Plot Keywords:

vandalism | swimming pool | riding accident | diner | globe | 

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Taglines:

It's not what he knows. It's what he understands.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

11 October 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le petit homme

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$25,010,896 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jodie Foster's directorial film debut.

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Goofs

When Jane is giving Fred that vile drink, you can see the band-aid on his head (58:38) where he got hit by the globe that Eddie would later throw (at around 32 mins).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Fred Tate: It's funny, cause I *think* I can even remember being born. For the first two weeks of my life I didn't even have a name. Dede couldn't make up her mind. She finally decided on Fred. She said that she had never heard of a little kid named Fred before.

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Connections

Referenced in Will & Grace: May Divorce Be with You (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Mozart's String Quartet No 21, D Major, KV575"
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Mozart)
Performed by Alban Berg Quartett
Courtesy of Teldec Classics International GmbH
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Realistic

This work presents the challenges of raising a gifted child. It is never a easy as it seems, raising a child who is more intellectual than you are - a fact wrenchingly portrayed herein. The emotional needs of these children often go unattended, as the parents usually struggle to satisfy the intellectual needs.

Jodie Foster gives a fantastic performance as a mom under the aforementioned circumstances.

Many may consider the ending weak, if they are unable to demonstrate the ability to see beyond the story itself. If you can, then this work is well done and offers hope in the end.

I found it a bit better than mildly entertaining, but it's not something I will want to watch again.

It rates a 6.7/10 from...

the Fiend :.