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:

Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias

Stars:

Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García

1 win & 16 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Greg Kinnear	...	Brian Jardine
Jennifer Ehle	...	Kathy Jardine
Paulina García	...	Leonor Calvelli (as Paulina Garcia)
Michael Barbieri	...	Tony Calvelli
Theo Taplitz	...	Jake Jardine
Talia Balsam	...	Audrey
Maliq Johnson	...	Umar
Anthony A. Flamminio	...	Joey (as Anthony Angelo Flamminio)
Madison Wright	...	Julia
John Procaccino	...	Mr. Plummer
Mauricio Bustamante	...	Acting Teacher
Alfred Molina	...	Hernán
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
DJ Alden	...	Club DJ
Stan Carp	...	Sal Bartolini
Teeka Duplessis	...	Eva

Storyline

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

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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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$702,191, 25 November 2016

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 play in which Brian appears was supposed to be Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit. When the filmmakers failed to clear the rights, it was changed to Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. The screenwriters knew it was in the public domain because they had previously worked on the biopic Monty Clift, in which Matt Bomer is slated to portray Montgomery Clift.

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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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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Making friends ... and conflict

Greetings again from the darkness. There is a lot going on in this latest from writer/director Ira Sachs, and every bit of it provides some commentary on the basic everyday life struggles faced by normal folks. There is also a continuation of the ongoing NYC vs Brooklyn "friendly competition", as well a reminder of the downside of gentrification.

Mr. Sachs and his frequent collaborator and co-writer Mauricio Zacharias kick off the story with Greg Kinnear's Brian awkwardly exchanging greetings with Paulina Garcia' s (so terrific in Gloria, 2013) Leonor while the son's of these two share an equally awkward meeting. Leonor is the long-time tenant in the dress shop located below the apartment where Brian's recently deceased father resided.

Jake (Theo Tapitz) is an aspiring artist who doesn't easily make friends. Tony (Michael Barbieri) is a brash, fast-talking kid who is a bit more street wise and outgoing. The two boys quickly bond … while at the same time, the parents begin a quiet battle. Brian's sister (played by Talia Balsam) demands her fair share of their father's estate through higher rent on Leonor's dress shop. It turns out their dad never raised the rent despite the number of years and the developing neighborhood. Kinnear's wife Kathy (the underrated Jennifer Ehle) tries to play peace-keeping negotiator so that the boys' friendship is not affected. As is often the case, the kids handle the situation better than the adults.

The film's best scenes feature the two young boys … a blossoming childhood friendship that is all too rare on the big screen. If the boys weren't so severely impacted, the adult interactions could almost be white noise. Themes of money vs love, greed vs emotion, as well as recurring and various instances of rejection, all play a part in this multi-faceted story. Examples of rejection include a girl rejecting a boy, Brian's rejection as an actor, and the multiple rejections in the negotiations for the shop. Mr. Sachs has a real knack for putting real people in real situations that result in difficult decisions.

All of the acting is top notch, including Alfred Molina in a small role as Leonor's attorney and adviser. But it's the boys – Tapitz and especially Barbieri – that elevate the film. Watching the boys grow closer despite the all-too-close conflicts reminds a bit of the friendships in Rob Reiner's classic Stand By Me. Young Mr. Tapitz already has a few short films under his belt as a director, and Mr. Barbieri is certain to get many more opportunities to flash his on screen talent.