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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first drawings of Jake are inspired by the Percy Jackson book series, given not of their titles "Sky of Camp Jupiter" and "Ella de Harpy." One of the books is even mentioned by Tony when he first meets Jake: "The Blood of Olympus."

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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

[continuation of the acting class exercise]
Acting Teacher: You're gonna make me ask another question, aren't you?
Tony Calvelli: I'm GONNA make you ask another question!
Acting Teacher: There you go, I did it again!
Tony Calvelli: I did it again!
Acting Teacher: You did it again!
Tony Calvelli: You did it again!
Acting Teacher: You did it!
Tony Calvelli: You!
Acting Teacher: You!
[...]

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Soundtracks

Crossing
Written by Alberto Lopez, Viva Ruiz, Gavin Russom, and Matt Thornley (as Matthew Thornley)
Performed by The Crystal Arc
Courtesy of DFA Records
By arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Stunning family/neighbors relationship drama is one of the year's best movies

"Little Men" (2016 release; 92 min.) brings the story of two young men, Jake and Tony. Jake is a 13 yr. old only child and after his grandfather passes away, his dad inherits the Brooklyn building. It's not long before mom Kathy, dad Brian and Jake move in (more room than their cramped Manhattan place). At the ground level of the building there is a small store (a tailor/clothing store) rented out to Leonor, a Latina woman who has a 13 yr. old son Tony. As it happens, Jake and Tony immediately hit it off and become fast (and inseparable) friends. All seems well, until one day Jake's parents need to confront Leonor over the sweetheart (and below market) lease deal which Brain's dad had given to Leonor... At this point we're 15-20 min, into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from writer-director Ira Sachs, best known for the unexpected modestly successful indie movie "Love Is Strange" a few years back. Here he goes a very different tact, examining how 13 yr. olds deal with their parents getting into a business dispute. The first 15-20 min, of the movie, when everyone gets along with everyone, cleverly set you up for some unexpected but very real life issues: money is tight for everyone, and you like all the major characters, yet some (or perhaps all?) will get hurt down the road. The movie is helped immensely by top notch acting performances, starting with the two boys (played by newcomers). Greg Kinnear brings an eye-opening performance as the struggling actor/dad/Brian. I can't recall Kinnear displaying such a conflicted state of mind as in this one. Also mega-kudos to Chilean actress Pauline Garcia, who delighted us a few years ago with her performance in "Gloria" (and which should have garnered an Oscar nomination, frankly). The role she plays here couldn't be further from "Gloria", but it is an equally stunning performance.

"Little Men" opened with positive buzz at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it finally opened this past weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Wednesday early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening: I was literally the only person in the theater. That is a darn shame, as this movie truly deserves to be seen. In fact, I'll just state it: this movie is one of the five best movies I've seen this year (and I see a lot of them). If you are in the mood for a top-notch family/neighbors relationship drama with loads of top acting performances, you cannot go wrong with this, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Little Men" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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