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

Most school scenes were filmed at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house served as the home/office of Jane Grierson (Dianne Wiest).

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Goofs

There are several errors in simple mathematics in the movie: Firstly, Damon "The Mathemagician" Wells correctly states that there are 25 228 800 minutes in 48 years (but 25,246,080 minutes if one counts the 12 leap-days that would occur in any span of 48 years that doesn't include a century year - only century years evenly divisible by 400, like 2000 but not 1900, are leap years), then says that this is 151 368 000 seconds. This is clearly wrong as 25 228 800 x 60 is 1 513 728 000 (more than 10 times as much). Furthermore, Fred says that the cube root of 3 796 466 is 156 although 156*156*156 is 3 796 416.

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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 Baby on Board (1992)

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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

Very touching

Little Man Tate was one of my favorite movies as a child, I don't know why, but maybe because my grandmother and I bonded over this movie, it's just special to me. But I was a little disappointed to see a low rating on IMDb, I think this is an absolute treasure of a film. Jodie and Dianne are just such a terrific pair of actresses and are perfect casting for the film. I know Jodie Foster was in charge of the film and she did a terrific job. The boy who played Fred was so charming and fit the role perfectly. The story is so touching and beautiful, not to mention original since the story of gifted children isn't really discussed that well.

Fred is a young boy who is extremely gifted, his intelligence is something very special. But his mom, DeeDee, doesn't really let him expand since she is a single mom wanting her son just to be normal. But Fred is discovered by Jane Grierson, a professor of highly intelligent and gifted children, giving Fred the chance to expand his world and even takes him to college at a young age. Fred meets interesting characters throughout his journey learning that maybe life has more to offer than what he used too.

Little Man Tate is a very good movie and very charming. I know some might find it a little boring, but honestly, you have got to give this movie a chance, it has great drama and some fun comedy along the way. David Hyde Pierce was such a fun addition to the cast, he really makes his screen presence enjoyable, so does Dianne. But the whole cast is just perfect and seemed to enjoy doing this movie together. I would highly recommend this movie, it's a good one to watch.

7/10