Little Men

2016
PG
1h 25m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

YOUR RATING

Jennifer Ehle, Greg Kinnear, Paulina García, Theo Taplitz, and Michael Barbieri in Little Men (2016)

When 13-year-old Jake's grandfather dies, his family moves from Manhattan back into his father's old Brooklyn home. There, Jake befriends the charismatic Tony, whose single mother Leonor, a dressmaker from Chile, runs the shop downstairs. Soon, Jake's parents Brian and Kathy -- one, a struggling actor, the other, a psychotherapist -- ask Leonor to sign a new, steeper lease on her store. For Leonor, the proposed new rent is untenable, and a feud ignites between the adults.

At first, Jake and Tony don't seem to notice; the two boys, so different on the surface, begin to develop a formative kinship as they discover the pleasures of being young in Brooklyn. Jake aspires to be an artist, while Tony wants to be an actor, and they have dreams of going to the same prestigious arts high school together. But the children can't avoid the problems of their parents forever, and soon enough, the adult conflict intrudes upon the borders of their friendship.

Play trailer2:48

2 Videos

34 Photos

Drama

A new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.A new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.A new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents' battle over a dress shop lease.

Director
- Ira Sachs
Writers
- Mauricio Zacharias
- Ira Sachs
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Ira Sachs
Writers
- Mauricio Zacharias
- Ira Sachs
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 16 nominations total

User reviews51

Featured review

5/10

Enjoyable enough...but it doesn't quite hit the mark.

"Little Men" is a film I just saw at a film festival. While I have nothing against the movie, I did find that it left me feeling a bit flat...like the film just didn't quite hit the mark. The ending certainly contributes to this feeling.

When the film begins, a family moves to Brooklyn from their home in Manhatten. This is because the grandfather has died and they've decided to move into Grandpa's home. The son, Jake, is a loner who loves to draw and you assume this move will be tough on him. However, their downstairs renter has a son, Tony and the boys soon become best buddies. But when a rent dispute occurs between Jake and Tony's family the story comes unraveled and just ends.

The picture has some nice things going for it...such as Michael Barbieri's nice performance as Tony. But the ending left me and some others in the audience a bit disappointed as the resolution just seemed flat.

Videos2

Trailer 2:48

Official Trailer

Clip 1:26

'Little Men': Let's Chat

Clip 1:26

'Little Men': Let's Chat

Photos33

+ 27

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Michael Barbieri was accepted at New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts after the film premiered.

Goofs
The film is supposed to be actual but Angola is a nation since November,11 1975, not a Portuguese Colony.

Quotes
Tony Calvelli: [describing his father's infrequent returns home] We seem like a normal family, and then - boom - they start fighting about something stupid, like always, and... I realize it's better when he's not around.

Soundtracks
Dulce Sueño
Written by Jose Lozano
Performed by Mongo Santamaria (as Mongo Santamaria)
Courtesy of Fantasy Records
By Arrangement of Concord Music Group, Inc.