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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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Barbieri was accepted at New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts after the film premiered.

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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

Every Time I Think Of You
Written by Bill Gordon and Omar Tavarez
Performed by Bill Gordon Trio
Courtesy of Fervor Records

User Reviews

I thought it was OK.

So, when I saw the trailer, I think I may have been mislead about what the movie is really about. They used the star power of actor, Greg Kinnear to sell the movie, and even though he's a big (very big) part of the movie, his story is not the focus.

The heart of the movie is the instant bond that happens between the two young boys in this movie (From the trailer, I thought the title Little Men came from the fact that Kinnear was a man-child, which was not the case).

The kid that played the character Tony was the absolutely best. Watching him in the scenes interacting with all the characters was fantastic. He was not the main boy among the two boys, but he was steeling the show without trying.

Other than this kid, the movie does not grab me at all. The main plot of the two boys bond being tested by their parents disagreement over prime real estate in Brooklyn felt really superficial in it's attempts to get everyone on broad, and although every actor is talented, the delivery of the whole film is too bland.

So the kid Tony was the best part of the film that was overall too dry for my taste.

http://cinemagardens.com

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Greece Brazil

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 May 2017 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

The Silent Treatment

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