Little Children (2006)

Director:

Todd Field

Writers (WGA):

Todd Field (screenplay) &
Tom Perrotta (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations.

Plot Keywords:

Bar | Sex Offender | Suburb | Sex | Dysfunctional Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 24 nominations

Cast

Kate Winslet	...	Sarah Pierce
Patrick Wilson	...	Brad Adamson
Jennifer Connelly	...	Kathy Adamson
Gregg Edelman	...	Richard Pierce
Sadie Goldstein	...	Lucy Pierce
Ty Simpkins	...	Aaron Adamson
Noah Emmerich	...	Larry Hedges
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Ronnie J. McGorvey
Phyllis Somerville	...	May McGorvey
Helen Carey	...	Jean
Catherine Wolf	...	Marjorie
Mary B. McCann	...	Mary Ann
Trini Alvarado	...	Theresa
Marsha Dietlein	...	Cheryl (as Marsha Dietlein Bennett)
Jane Adams	...	Sheila

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality and nudity, language and some disturbing content.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | UK:15 | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Brazil:16 | Greece:K-13 | Germany:16 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Chile:14 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Jackie Earle Haley's first movie in 13 years.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The envelope from the credit card company has "08945" (non existent) as the East Wyndam Zip Code. The bar code does not decode to numbers. When Mom takes out the classified ad for Ronnie, the East Wyndam Zip Code is now 02748 (South Dartmouth, MA). The return-address stickers that mom puts on the after-death note to Ronnie has a East Wyndam Zip code of 02786 (non-existent).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lucy Pierce: Want to take a walk with me?

Movie Connections:

Featured in 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)

Amazing!

Out of all the "Oscar Bait" films I've seen this year, this film beats them all. Little Children is an unbelievable masterpiece about what it means to grow up. This idea is brilliantly portrayed through characters - while categorized as "adults" - have yet to outgrow certain adolescent stages.

Brad is a man who never got the chance to experience the spotlight in his youth, and now he desperately craves attention, acknowledgment, or admiration in any form.

Sarah is a woman who never learned how to grow past her own selfishness. She is angry at her daughter for needing attention when all Sarah wants is some time to herself.

Larry is a man who still harbors bully-like tendencies, and desperately just wants to fit in and be one of the guys. This is seen through his treatment of Ronnie - the pedophile who was just released from prison and returned to the neighborhood.

Ronnie is the dangerous man. The man who cannot connect with people his own age and seeks sexual gratification with children or with people who - like him - cannot fit into the adult world.

This isn't an action moving - it's an interaction movie. The scenes between characters have you nailed to your seat and deeply invested. The characters interact within their small community, and their actions with each other build into a climatic explosion that forces them all to face truths about themselves, and - finally - accept their responsibilities as mothers, husbands, fathers, and humans. This accepting is what separates little children from adults, immature from mature.

The tale is moving, sad, hilarious, dark, breathtaking, thought-provoking and many other creative adjectives. It forces you to reevaluate your idea of yourself and your thoughts on others. It forces you to see people you would normally loath and dismiss in a differently light. This a movie you will come out of changed. If you only see one film a higher, I cannot recommend this one more.