Little Men (2016)

A new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.

Director:

Ira Sachs

Writers:

Mauricio Zacharias, Ira Sachs

Stars:

Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García

1 win & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Theo Taplitz	...	Jake Jardine
John Procaccino	...	Mr. Plummer
Ching Valdes-Aran	...	Pilar
Stan Carp	...	Sal Bartolini
Paulina García	...	Leonor Calvelli (as Paulina Garcia)
Talia Balsam	...	Audrey
Greg Kinnear	...	Brian Jardine
Jennifer Ehle	...	Kathy Jardine
Michael Barbieri	...	Tony Calvelli
Stella Schnabel	...	Nina
Yolonda Ross	...	Arkadina
Leah Gardiner	...	Director (as Leah C. Gardiner)
Maliq Johnson	...	Umar
Anthony A. Flamminio	...	Joey (as Anthony Angelo Flamminio)
Alfred Molina	...	Hernán

Storyline

Despite dissimilarities, two middle-school boys from one-child households (Jake and Tony) form a natural friendship when Jake moves with family into his recently deceased grandfather's Brooklyn apartment above the dress shop business of Tony's mother. Extrovert Tony plays soccer, desires to become an actor (like Jake's father) and is sociable, while introvert Jake likes to draw, build his portfolio and be somewhat reclusive. Their best friend status is challenged by Jake's parents inheriting ownership of the building where Tony's mother runs her dress business, asking for three times the rent she previously paid within the upscaling neighborhood. The boys retaliate with silence, but it will likely not be enough.

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | father son relationship | gentrification | eviction | teenage boy with a ponytail | 

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Taglines:

Be on each other's side.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Greece Brazil

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 May 2017 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Thank You for Being Honest

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,368, 7 August 2016

Gross USA:

$702,537

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,008,649

Company Credits

Production Co:

Race Point Films, Faliro House Productions, Charlie Guidance Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The idea of children going on strike against their parents was inspired by Yasujirô Ozu's I Was Born, But... (1932) and Good Morning (1959).

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Goofs

The film is supposed to be actual but Angola is a nation since November,11 1975, not a Portuguese Colony.

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Quotes

Brian Jardine: You two ever think about anybody other than yourselves? Huh? Say something, Jake! SAY SOMETHING! One of the hardest things to realize when you're a child is that your parents are people, too. You understand that? They care about things, they make mistakes, and they try to do what they think is the right thing to do. Does any of what I'm saying make any sense to you?

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Soundtracks

Tony's Video Game Song
Written by Matt Rocker, ASCAP
Published by Love Rock Music, ASCAP

User Reviews

Great Film

I just saw "Little Men" last night at the Chicago Critics' Film Festival. Wow, what a touching and wonderful film! The New York Writer/Director of "Little Men" was in attendance and spoke before the screening, where he thanked one of the local Chicago producers, which was Fathers Rights' pioneer Jeffery Leving. He is the top family law attorney in the nation. Leving is a huge advocate for the powerful positive force of paternal involvement in children's lives. There are countless statistics that show the positive effects of father involvement, which is what I suspect why Leving got involved in this movie.

I mention this, because this great written and directed film highlights the contrast of a family unit where there is father involvement in one family, and father absence in the other. Tony hardly sees or has contact with his father in the film, because his father lives in Africa. The lack of Tony's father being present in his life negatively affects him in this film. Jake, the other boy, has his dad in his life, played wonderfully by Greg Kinnear, and is able to get the support he needs from his father in the hope of achieving his dreams. Tony, who so dearly wants a father in his life even reaches out to Jake's Dad to give him advice and support for his future. This film highlights the positive effects an involved father can have on their children. Bravo!

I always wanted to write film reviews, and this powerful film has moved me to do so. Go see this film!