A Kid Like Jake (2018)

Loving parents of a four-year-old must come to terms with their child being transgender.

Director:

Silas Howard

Writers:

Daniel Pearle (adapted by), Daniel Pearle (based on play)

Stars:

Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claire Danes	...	Alex Wheeler
Jim Parsons	...	Greg Wheeler
Octavia Spencer	...	Judy
Priyanka Chopra	...	Amal
Ann Dowd	...	Catherine
Amy Landecker	...	Sandra
Leo James Davis	...	Jake Wheeler
Julia Chan	...	Michelle
Lee Aaron Rosen	...	Tom Hedwall
Kelly Deadmon	...	Cynthia Hedwall
Olivia Bond	...	Kimmie
Rhys Bhatia	...	Sanjay
Aneesh Sheth	...	Dr. Laurel Hendricks
Cindy Cheung	...	Woman
Eve Lindley	...	Waiter #1

Storyline

A Brooklyn couple has always known that their four-year-old son is more interested in fairy tale princesses than toy cars. But when his preschool director points out that his gender-nonconforming play may be more than a phase, the couple is forced to rethink their roles as parents and spouses.

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Plot Keywords:

crossdresser | gender identity | four word title | therapist | therapy | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the third collaboration between Octavia Spencer and Jim Parsons. The first was on The Big Bang Theory ("The Euclid Alternative" Season 2, Episode 5). Ms. Spencer played a DMV agent dealing with the exasperating Mr. Parsons. The second was in Hidden Figures (2016)

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Quotes

Judy: It's never going to be easy to really see people.
Judy: Especially the ones we love.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Claire Danes/Letitia Wright/Kevin Delaney (2018)

User Reviews

It's really about the parents of Jake

SPOILER: Given that this was originally written as a play, it may be unavoidable that most of the story is of the adults. Jake's father is a Freudian-style psychologist, and there is a fair degree of filler as he repeatedly meets with a client. Jake's mother has had ballet training, had worked as a lawyer, but dropped out to be a full-time mother, to the disapproval of HER mother.

Filled with fairy tales read by his mother, there is little attempt by either parent to "correct" Jake's non-gender-conforming behavior - wearing dresses, playing the role of princess. Even at a queer-friendly pre-school, there are signs of trouble. Things get worse when the parents try to place Jake in a private kindergarten, where trial placements often end up with verbal abuse and fights.

The entire story happens over maybe 8 months, so there is no answer to the question as to whether Jake grows out non-conforming behavior, or actually identifies as a girl. I did note that Jake's last scene had him wearing not a dress but a tutu. Was it all simply his mother's influence?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Kid Like Jake

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,936, 3 June 2018

Gross USA:

$58,403

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,784

Company Credits

Production Co:

XS Media, Bankside Films, Burn Later Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color