Review of Tiptoes (2002) by Janell M — 19 Mar 2008

Despite great promise, ultimately Tiptoes doesn't deliver as much as it ought to.

The story, about a man who is fearful that his soon-to-be born son will be a dwarf like the rest of his family, could have worked very well. And in fact, most of the movie had me believing that it would. There were scenes where the couple are arguing in bed that shocked me with how realistically the dialogue sounded. If only it weren't for the over-powering weird drumbeats in the background. There were times when the worries and fearfulness of Steven (McConaughey) came through brilliantly, but on the other hand... Well. Steven is perhaps the most three-dimensional character in the film, having the difficult task of coming to terms with the mix of shame, anger, and fright caused by the fact that his child could be a dwarf. Unfortunately, often it is difficult to assess where Steven is on the emotional spectrum and he just comes off as bi-polar.

Seeing Peter Dinklage alongside Patricia Arquette, his co-star from Human Nature, was a thrill... but it still remains that the side-plot of their relationship didn't add to the movie at all.

Then the film ends on a very strange note, almost ruining what came before.

I guess I'm with a lot of other people on this one. Tiptoes kind of seems like it's all over the place, where a more focused film would have been absolutely incredible. Good try, though?