Little Children

Little Children

79% Liked It
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Little Children

Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Noah Emmerich, Phyllis Somerville

Little Children centers on a group of young marrieds, whose lives intersect on the playgrounds, town pools and streets of their small community in surprising and potentially dangerous ways.

Id: 9434742

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  • August 3, 2009
    this movie is kinda fucked up but it really draws you in. you catch yourself in the mood for a slow film i recommend this one. Its actually one of the best films i ever seen
  • May 1, 2009
    I love it when I put on a film expecting a good time passer and I find out it's so much more. Little Children is one of the best surprises.

    The best way to describe this story is that it's a look at a community and the way they live their life, with situations changing due to th...( read more)e release of a sex offender into said community.

    To anyone who has seen this film and wonders why the children the title speaks of seem to be props and not characters in their right, I propose this theory: having not read the book, I can only go by what the film offers. Perhaps the little children of the title are the main and supporting characters. We have Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet, who just goes from strength to strength, and makes us forget about that movie with the sinking boat which was overrated), a housewife frustrated with her husband and who has little love for her own child; Brad Adamson (Patrick Wilson, who I really have to keep looking for updates on whatever he's working on as he has a presence that enhances a film), a househusband who can't find the motivation to take the bar exam again, preferring to watch skateboarders and find comfort in the arms of Sarah (more on that later); Larry Hedges (Noah Emmerich, who is arguably the antagonist of this film), a disgraced former cop who bullies the sex offender (Jackie Earle Haley, who is DAMN good in this role), who's just trying to live his life (again, we'll come back to him)

    Along with the supporting women who play the mothers of the children seen in the playground/pool scenes, most of the main characters seem to regress to child-like ideas in order to keep themselves going. Some have ideas of running away with their lovers, some bully and harass citizens and others act like hypocrites and suggest their way of life is better.
    Of course, I could just be over-analyzing and it's about the sex offender and the concerns over the children. Or both.

    Normally, I am against the idea of people cheating on their loved ones. You can use any excuse you want, be it not being treated right or that your spouse is cheating on you and you're getting revenge, I don't care. You want to sleep with someone else, date someone else, you end things with the person you're seeing. This is perhaps the only film in which I actually sympathize with those doing the cheating (though this is not without precedent. BJ Hunnicutt had a one night stand on M*A*S*H but he felt terrible about it and never strayed again. Not making excuses, not defending him, but it's hard to hate BJ. It's like hating puppies, it's unthinkable)
    Sarah and Brad are yearning for more out of their lives, they want to be with people who devote their time to each other. They have a connection, and their kids get along. So it seems like a match. But as we all know, things aren't always so smooth in the world of passion.
    Patrick and Kate really have great chemistry together and I'd love to see them reunite for a future project.

    Now let's talk about Jackie Earle Haley's character, Ronald McGorvey. Treated as the town pariah, he is oddly enough, one of the few people who's actually trying to better himself. Like I said before, no defense here, but he just wants to be left alone and wants to reintegrate back into society.
    He's moved back in with his mother, and tries hard not to succumb to temptation. What he does towards the end I will not spoil, but it's ironic to me that the one person trying to change for the better is the one vilified as the monster. Jackie Earle Haley did magnificent in this role, and hopefully now that he and Patrick have been in Watchmen, his profile will improve

    If there is one thing I have to put down, it's the narration. It's not bad, but I have to wonder why it's needed as the narrator seemingly has nothing to do with the story and seems to be Mr. Exposition for the thoughts and feelings of our characters. Yes, they aren't entirely obvious from the body language but why is a stranger telling us what they're thinking?

    Rarely if ever do I see people talking about this film. It's been overlooked and that's just wrong. I hope more people see it, I found it quite powerful.
  • March 19, 2009
    Todd Field delivers a detailed study of adult suburban life, but only occasionally rises the material to greatness. There are too many moments that scream "do-you-get-the-symbolism?" But apart from that, a very good adaptation and great performances by Kate Winslet and Jackie E...( read more)arle Haley.
  • January 27, 2009
    Sensationalism and pseudo indie feel helps to sell movies despite a rather inane content, but it doesn't really do anything to me.
    The narration causes fatigue and doesn't really contribute to anything important, aside from very brief keen examinations.
    Jackie Earle Haley's chara...( read more)cter should have been explored deeper. He and his mother (Phyllis Sommerville) play the most interesting parts of the whole.
  • October 28, 2008
    I didn't get the full intended impact from this because I think the editin wasn't too good. I'd have liked a punchier adaptation without too much emotional downtime.
  • November 11, 2009
    Genius. Funny, dramatic, sexy, tons of tension! Amazing acting all around, great writing. Kate Winslet must get an Oscar nomination for this. *edit* She did! And she would have won if it weren't for Helen Mirren's mimickry of the Queen. :P
  • November 7, 2009
    One of my favourite movies ever!! Reminds me of happiness, maybe because of the scene with Jane Adams. This movie has it all, great storyline(s), good camerawork, good acting. The characters are well crafted, only I wanted to see more of jane. I can recommend it to everyone who w...( read more)ants to see a serious movie.
  • October 29, 2009
    watch dis movie its a good one.
  • October 23, 2009
    Wasn't expecting anything but was a nice surprise. Jackie Earle Haley is brilliant, he really improved the narrative.
  • October 14, 2009
    Entertaining enough... About following your dreams... or do we?

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