Review of Little Children (2006) by Filmfan — 21 Oct 2006
This is an ambitious and intelligent film, with great performances and good cinematography. It is fairly intense and several performances linger in the memory. So why did I not enjoy it? The confusion between satire and drama, with the few "real" characters surrounded by a bevy of caricatures, made it difficult to take the story seriously, in fact, made it just plain weird.
One moment there are gross, wide angle in the face shots of caricature "guys" on the football field, the next moment there are intensely dramatic scenes concerning death, personal grief and even dismemberment.
Another huge problem is the overlay of style, expressed through the narrator, the sometimes hip ironic score, and the Gregory Crewdson-look. This style overlay ultimately undermines the dramatic edge of the performances.
I like a lot of films that share some of these qualities, including Bubble, Magnolia and American Beauty.
This review of Little Children (2006) was written by Filmfan on 21 Oct 2006.
Little Children has generally received very positive reviews.
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