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Film review
'Children' ages fast
It's the childish behavior of the adults in Little Children that creates the tension in the film.
By Steve Persall
Published January 25, 2007
It's the adults in Little Children who act bossy, bratty or bullying, who want what they want when they want it. Age brings power, so childish behavior has more drastic repercussions than schoolyard spats. Director Todd Field and co-writer Tom Perrotta based on his novel begin and end the story with adults at a playground to package the point. A smug narrator reads from Perrotta's book to clarify inner, vapid thoughts. Field is dramatizing adults who need time outs. The first playground visit introduces Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet) as a nominal participant in a daily recess for kids and gossip swap for mothers. Sarah is, as the narrator intones, "a researcher studying the behavior of typical suburban women" but never considering herself one of them. Then handsome Brad Adamson (Patrick Wilson), a stay-at-home father, appears with his son. The women primp and blush like schoolgirls. But not Sarah. She takes a dare to get his phone number, then dares herself to ask for a scandalous hug and kiss. Sarah and Brad mask their mutual attraction by scheduling dates for their children. The playground isn't safe anymore, but the city pool is open for flirting. They share their insecurities: for Brad, a successful wife (Jennifer Connelly) who testily reminds him of his bar exam failures, for Sarah, a husband (Gregg Edelman) addicted to Internet porn. One day at the pool, the best thing happens to Little Children: We catch our first sight of Ronald James McGorvey, the bogeyman haunting this manicured Peyton Place. McGorvey served time for exposing himself to children, and the image of him walking toward a pool filled with kids with snorkeling gear is unnerving in a Jaws fashion. This shark is more interesting than the community he scares. It's an extraordinary role for Jackie Earle Haley, a former child star in The Bad News Bears and Breaking Away. He reaches astonishing levels of slow-fuse menace in an Oscar-nominated role. McGorvey's presence in town infuriates former policeman Larry Hedges (Noah Emmerich), whose vandalism of the pervert's property is his gentlest move. The two men's incendiary relationship - which one deserves punishment now? - is the tortured soul of Little Children, not Sarah and Brad's adulterous arrested development. Field and Perrotta strain to connect the secret lovers to Hedges, and McGorvey by proxy. Field's acting experience makes him a generous director, and each performer does a lot with the leeway. Winslet perfectly modulates Sarah's wallflower-in-bloom personality in an Oscar-nominated performance. Wilson manages a Redford-like turn as a tarnished golden boy. Still, their bracing scenes and cleverly concealed line deliveries become mild distractions when McGorvey enters the picture. Steve Persall can be reached at (727) 893-8365 or persall@sptimes.com Review Little Children Grade: B Director: Todd Field Cast: Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, Gregg Edelman, Noah Emmerich, Phyllis Somerville, Jane Adams, Mary B. McCann Screenplay: Todd Field, Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel Rating: R; strong sexuality and profanity, nudity, violence, mature themes Running time: 130 min.
[Last modified January 24, 2007, 11:28:39]
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