Tadpole

Director:  Gary Winick
Year Released:  2002
Rating:  0.0

Fifteen-year-old - who has only read one book by one author in his entire life (the abridged Voltaire) - falls for his stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) hard, but winds up sleeping with her attractive best friend (Bebe Neuwirth) … and of course, this is not acceptable (how can you properly seduce Mom when you're bedding her friends on the side? Isn't that a conflict of interest?). This fifteen-year-old, who speaks fluent French, is one of the most pompous movie characters to come along in some time (save Igby), a self-interested, phony little twig who would be broken by life had his family's riches not protected him from the 'real world.' I was anxiously awaiting the police cruisers to come for Neuwirth, who has started - with her friends - some kind of woman-boy love association (NAWBLA?) and for the kid's father to act like a real father or plausible human and show some kind of anger in response to his son's transgression (the 'men' - not boys - are portrayed as quasi-impotent cuckolds). This is the kind of shoddy craftsmanship that helps dig independent cinema's grave.

Return to the Previous Page