starring Kate Winslet & Patrick Wilson
In a nutshell: Had me...then lost me 
Quick synopsis: Little Children is a tale of suburban restlessness and paranoia. Winslet & Wilson are both in unhappy marriages and make a connection, meanwhile a convicted pervert (Jackie Earle Haley) moves into the neighborhood much to the chagrin of neighbors.
It has been a while since I have seen American Beauty or any other "suburb movies", and I don't watch Desperate Housewives, so I found Little Children's satire to be fresh and biting during the first half hour, as we get to know the characters. The group of housewives are hilarious and, sadly, all too real. I grew up in the suburbs and it hits close to home. Winslet and Wilson are both solid in their roles as confused thirtysomethings.
I have to give Haley credit for playing his despicable role. It takes courage to make your big comeback to film as a totally creepy pedophile. I am not quite sure I agree with his oscar nomination, but I won't complain. He really creeped me out.
Winslet and Wilson both have distant relationships with their spouses. A retired cop convinces Wilson to play on his football team. Haley lives with his mother. Neighbors terrorize Haley with posters, graffiti, and fliers. There are a few other story shards that are flying around as well. Winslet and Wilson make a connection and start thinking about cheating. At this point, the film is balancing it all pretty well, albeit precariously. Then, when it comes time to attempt to move towards resolutions, everthing fell apart. Certain storylines are dropped. Annoying cliches pop up. And ultimately I am not sure that Haley's character even fits into this movie at all. His storyline is interesting, but I didn't feel like Field tied it into the other major storyline well enough. It almost felt like watching 2 different movies at once.
As the film neared its end, I found the conclusion of nearly every storyline to be unsatisfying. Haley's resolution is at least interesting, but I still wanted to know more. The second half of the movie felt like there were chunks missing. I wonder if there is a director's cut out there somewhere that solves these problems.
In summary, the movie has unrealized potential. I still look forward to giving Fields' In The Bedroom a chance. I saw enough promise from him in Little Children to interest me in what else he has to offer, but my hopes won't be incredibly high.
Sorry about my thoughts being a bit disorganized on this one, but honestly, I found the last third of the movie to be so jumbled, that I am having trouble summarizing my thoughts on it into cohesive paragraphs. Oh well. I am really not sure if there is a bad scene in the entire movie, it is just they way that they are all tied together that bothered me.
Quick synopsis: Little Children is a tale of suburban restlessness and paranoia. Winslet & Wilson are both in unhappy marriages and make a connection, meanwhile a convicted pervert (Jackie Earle Haley) moves into the neighborhood much to the chagrin of neighbors.
It has been a while since I have seen American Beauty or any other "suburb movies", and I don't watch Desperate Housewives, so I found Little Children's satire to be fresh and biting during the first half hour, as we get to know the characters. The group of housewives are hilarious and, sadly, all too real. I grew up in the suburbs and it hits close to home. Winslet and Wilson are both solid in their roles as confused thirtysomethings.
I have to give Haley credit for playing his despicable role. It takes courage to make your big comeback to film as a totally creepy pedophile. I am not quite sure I agree with his oscar nomination, but I won't complain. He really creeped me out.
Winslet and Wilson both have distant relationships with their spouses. A retired cop convinces Wilson to play on his football team. Haley lives with his mother. Neighbors terrorize Haley with posters, graffiti, and fliers. There are a few other story shards that are flying around as well. Winslet and Wilson make a connection and start thinking about cheating. At this point, the film is balancing it all pretty well, albeit precariously. Then, when it comes time to attempt to move towards resolutions, everthing fell apart. Certain storylines are dropped. Annoying cliches pop up. And ultimately I am not sure that Haley's character even fits into this movie at all. His storyline is interesting, but I didn't feel like Field tied it into the other major storyline well enough. It almost felt like watching 2 different movies at once.
As the film neared its end, I found the conclusion of nearly every storyline to be unsatisfying. Haley's resolution is at least interesting, but I still wanted to know more. The second half of the movie felt like there were chunks missing. I wonder if there is a director's cut out there somewhere that solves these problems.
In summary, the movie has unrealized potential. I still look forward to giving Fields' In The Bedroom a chance. I saw enough promise from him in Little Children to interest me in what else he has to offer, but my hopes won't be incredibly high.
Sorry about my thoughts being a bit disorganized on this one, but honestly, I found the last third of the movie to be so jumbled, that I am having trouble summarizing my thoughts on it into cohesive paragraphs. Oh well. I am really not sure if there is a bad scene in the entire movie, it is just they way that they are all tied together that bothered me.
Rolling Rankings:
1. Pulp Fiction (#8)
1. Pulp Fiction (#8)
2. Napoleon Dynamite (#5)
3. A Prairie Home Companion (#11)
4. Grave of the Fireflies (#4)
5. The Illusionist (#9)
6. Dr. No (#7)
7. Little Children (#12)
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (#3)
9. Fahrenheit 9/11 (#10)
10. Heist (#6)
key:
masterpiece excellent good mixed bag more bad than good garbage
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