Tadpole Swims With Big Fish

"Tadpole" is the indie filmmaking dream come true. Shot entirely on digital video in just two weeks for a cost of just $150,000, director Gary Winick took "Tadpole" to Sundance in 2002 and came home with not only the Director’s Award but also a $5 million distribution deal from the mighty Miramax. As with all Sundance success stories the hype produced high expectations, which were not entirely met at the box office, the film taking about $3 million.

The titular Tadpole is the nickname of a 15 year old Voltaire quoting, French speaking prep student named Oscar Grubman, played here by newcomer Aaron Stretford. Oscar returns to New York for Thanksgiving with one thing on his mind: older women. He harbours a passionate but inappropriate longing for Eve, his 40 year old mother in law played by the imperious Sigourney Weaver. Having Weaver in his film is a coup for Winick. She brings star power (which is useful for posters) but, even better, she doesn’t wield it. Her performance as a woman very quietly on the verge of a midlife crisis is nicely restrained, and generous enough to allow the other actors to shine. John Ritter plays her husband with a charming naivety, while Stretford has enough charm to make Tadpole likeable, even when he’s being overbearingly intellectual.



Despite playing a supporting role, Bebe Neurith doesn't just steal her scenes, she takes the entire movie, drops it in her pocket and takes it home with her. Playing Diane, the 40-year-old friend of the family with whom Oscar shares an ill-advised (and ever so slightly illegal) night of drunken passion. You may remember Neurith as Frasier's snow queen wife Lilith in both "Cheers" and "Frasier", but there's none of Lilith's icy logic here, Diane positively embracing the idea of a passionate affair with a much (much) younger man. When Tadpole asks her to keep their affair secret she challenges him "Would it matter? You're a grown up." After a perfectly timed pull on her cigarette she adds, "or close enough." I guarantee that if you remember one thing from this film, it will be Bebe Neurith's dirty smile as she introduces Oscar to her gaggle of appreciative friends.

At just 77 minutes "Tadpole" never threatens to outstay its welcome. Possessing an unforced charm, Winick sagely avoids going for big laughs. For example, after discovering Eve used to have a thing for Elvis' sideburns the facial hair free Oscar takes advantage of a friend's dog, but there's no gross-out dog-shaving scene, and the resultant artificial facial hair is pleasantly convincing, as opposed to the lamb chop sized monstrosities that would have grabbed a few cheap laughs. Winick seems to understand that just knowing where these sideburns came from produces laughter of a subtler, gentler variety.

Of course, this tale of the young boy falling hard for the older woman is not without precedent. It's already been done ("The Graduate") and redone ("Rushmore") very successfully. "Tadpole" at least has the good grace to acknowledge it's ancestry, possibly to pre-empt criticism. When Oscar and Diane's tryst is revealed over dinner, Oscar's dad can only say "Well, this is all very "The Graduate", to which Sigourney Weaver responds "Except Oscar hasn't graduated yet."

The only real complaint is technical. "Tadpole" highlights the shortcomings of digital filmmaking, with noticeably faded colours and some really grainy sequences that say ‘home video’. The rule is that film ALWAYS looks better, despite what anyone might say about the digital revolution. Despite these shortcomings, "Tadpole’s" smart humour earns it the right to swim with the big fish.

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