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

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

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

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:

ulcer | asperger's syndrome | voice over narration | title directed by female | kitchen | 

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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:

1 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mentes que brillan

Filming Locations:

Upham Hall Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$230,106, 11 October 1991, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$25,010,896

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite Jodie Foster's obvious excitement over directing her first movie, there was tension on the set. Dianne Wiest expressed dissatisfaction with Foster's direction to a visiting reporter from Premiere Magazine; this was also the visit where Foster made a sarcastic crack about a previous female director she worked with and later had to write a note of apology. Producer Scott Rudin was unhappy over a number of things, most likely the progress of the production, and threw a portable phone at somebody's car in exasperation, cracking the windshield.

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Goofs

Fred's backpack strap is down on his elbow when he's talking with Eddie in a longer shot (76:42-76:55), but is up on his shoulder in the immediately preceding and following close-ups of Fred.

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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

Brahms' Liebesliederwalzer
Musc by Johannes Brahms (as Brahms)
Performed by Ensemble Vocal Michel Piquemal with Ensemble Orchestral de Paris
Conducted by Armin Jordan
Courtesy of Erato Disques
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Ultimately dissatisfying

Explores the difficulties faced by a 7 year old genius, and his relationship on the one hand with his mother, who provides love but no intellectual stimulus, and his teacher, who provides lessons in abundance but without emotional support. A bit laboured and contrived, both mother and teacher come across as caricatures. It highlights some potentially interesting issues, which are skimmed over in the ending, which is as trite as they come. The little kid is good, though.