Main Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Stanford, John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Iler
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 78 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Most 15-year-old boys are obsessed with the opposite sex, but this may be the only area in which Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford) could be called typical. An honor student at an exclusive prep school, Oscar is confident, keenly intelligent, speaks fluent French, and is well versed in the work of a number of French authors, particularly his favorite, Voltaire. Oscar seems to have gotten his fascination with French culture from his mother, who several years ago divorced his father Stanley (John Ritter), a college professor, and moved to Paris. Stanley has recently remarried, taking an attractive woman in her mid-forties, Eve (Sigourney Weaver), as his new wife. Oscar, however, senses that Eve isn't happy in their marriage; certain he can give Eve the affection (both physical and emotional) that she needs, Oscar begins waging a low-key but ardent campaign to seduce his step-mother over the course of Thanksgiving weekend, despite the fact a number of Oscar's female classmates have made no secret of their attraction to him. Oscar's efforts to bed Eve attract the attention of one of her close friends, Diane (Bebe Neuwirth), a smart and sexy chiropractor who also becomes the not-entirely-unwelcome focus of Oscar's romantic attentions. Shot using digital video equipment, Tadpole was enthusiastically received at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, where the film's director, Gary Winick, received the Director's Award. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Charmingly sweet and literate, this sexual comedy of errors provides a far less forced J.D. Salinger update than the previous year's wildly praised The Royal Tenenbaums. With its muted digital-video palette and tasteful Upper West Side environs, Gary Winick's cinematic universe is as familiar as a Woody Allen classic. But the script, by Niels Mueller and Heather McGowan, proves equally at home in the poetry-steeped libido of a precocious teen as it does in the quiet contentment of finely appointed professionals. Sigourney Weaver buttons down, inhabiting a more thoughtful, less brittle variation on the upper middle-class matron she played so convincingly in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. John Ritter, meanwhile, continues his impressive string of character roles as the frumpy professor whose son rightly sees through his hollow domestic routine. In the title role, Aaron Stanford is a revelation, needy but grave and dignified, the gears turning almost invisibly behind his hungry eyes. But it's Bebe Neuwirth's wicked cackle and Broadway-honed comic acuity that give the film its friction and its warm sense of abandon. These characters live in a carefully circumscribed world of rent control and the right wine, but Neuwirth's vitality breaks through the exteriors and into the heart of the matter -- the crackle of longing that accumulates like static electricity and sometimes discharges at the wrong place and time. It's almost ridiculous to single out yet another performance after praising all of the principals, but Robert Iler shines, too, as Oscar's common-sensical comic foil. From its cast to its cinematography to its finely honed dialogue, Tadpole gets every little detail right. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Adam Le Fevre - Phil; Peter Appel - Jimmy; Alicia van Couvering - Daphane Tisch; Kate Mara - Miranda Spear; Hope Chernov - Samantha; Debbon Ayer - Jean; Ron Rifkin - Professor Tisch; Paul Butler - Professor Sherman
Credit
Sara Parks - Art Director, Jake Abraham - Associate Producer, Marcia de Bonis - Casting, Ellen Lewis - Casting, Jennifer Euston - Casting, Suzanne Schwarzer - Costume Designer, Michael Johnson - First Assistant Director, Gary Winick - Director, Susan Littenberg - Editor, John Sloss - Executive Producer, Caroline Kaplan - Executive Producer, Jonathan Sehring - Executive Producer, Celeste Peterka - Line Producer, Anthony Gasparro - Production Designer, Hubert Taczanowski - Cinematographer, Gary Winick - Producer, Dolly Hall - Producer, Alexis Alexanian - Producer, William Cozy - Sound/Sound Designer, Niels Mueller - Screenwriter, Heather McGowan - Screenwriter
Oscar Grubman, the fifteen year-old prodigal son of Columbia University history professor and author Stanley Grubman, is taking the train home from the Chauncey Academy for Thanksgiving; he is seated with his good friend Charlie. An attractive girl from his school, Miranda Spears, approaches him seemingly with interest and asks him what he's reading. Oscar politely brushes her off telling her that is a work by Voltaire, later explaining to his shocked chum, Charlie, that he is in love with another woman, and that he plans to win her heart this break.
They arrive in New York City and share a cab to their respective houses; Oscar parts from Charlie at his apartment were he is greeted with the nickname "tadpole" by the doorman Jimmy, lending the title of the movie. Oscar introduces us to his dad, the work-obsessed writer, Stanley, and stepmother, the passionate doctor Eve. That evening the Grubmans hold a party; Oscar's dad introduces him to a girl of his age, but Oscar is in love with someone more mature.
As the girl tries to talk to him Oscar remains distracted by the woman, whom it turns out he loves: his stepmother, Eve. Following Eve to the kitchen Oscar begins to put on his charm, but the unsuspecting Eve doesn't pick up on any of his advances. He then bumps into Eve's best friend, the chiropractor, Diane Lodder. She asks him about a book he has on Voltaire; he quotes: "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him," ending by saying that Voltaire had a sense of humor. Voltaire is quoted several times throughout the film with a shot of the quote to break up the body of the movie. Oscar's dad makes him walk the girl home, but after getting her outside he buys her a cab. Depressed from his failure to gain Eve's love, Oscar goes to a bar and gets drunk; after hitting on the French singer in French, though she herself does not speak French, he leaves for home.
Along the way he stumbles into Diane, who offers to take him home seeing his current condition. Once there, Oscar lies down on Diane's chiropractic table; discovering him already there Diane begins to massage him. After a brief rub Oscar notices Diane is wearing Eve's scarf and can smell Eve on it. Being drunk Oscar kisses Diane; they then proceed to have sex. Oscar awakes the next morning to meet Diane's boyfriend Phil, who thinks Oscar is a patient. Oscar goes home and asks his dad where Eve was. He says she is at work, so Oscar packs up a lunch to surprise her with.
Before he could go his dad asks him to come with him shopping; while out his dad discovers he was out last night with a girl, but Oscar tells him she was a schoolmate, Miranda Spears. He gets away from his dad and surprises Eve at her lab with the lunch. Oscar asks her how she can work with the heart and still think of it as a symbol for love; she explains that the heart itself is incredible and doesn't need to be a symbol, and together they decide that the liver should be the new symbol for love. Their conversation is interrupted by a phone call from Stanley, who reminds them of their dinner tonight at Le Gardin with Diane; Oscar freaks out about Diane's presence and rushes off to talk with her. Her boyfriend Phil directs him to the tea room. Oscar finds Diane with several friends, who all apparently heard about the previous evening, he is ensnared in a conversation and receives a number from one of the ladies; once alone with Diane he makes her promise to keep last night a secret. He also finds out that Eve once had a thing for sideburns.
In desperation for Eve's love Oscar goes to Charlie for help. He is forced to tell Charlie about Diane and Eve weirding him out, and in the end Oscar leaves with two sideburns from Charlie's dog. That night at dinner Oscar promises to play tennis with Eve. His dad meets Miranda Spears, the girl Oscar said he was with. After some wine Diane begins to play footsie with Oscar and she flirts with him in French; he excuses himself so they can talk and she kisses him while they're out, but Oscar's dad could see them through a mirror. Finally Diane admits that they are lovers and the evening ends very awkwardly.
The next day Diane explains to Eve why she did what she did saying that she was looking for something more and Oscar was a charming young man. Eve and Oscar play a tense round of tennis lobbing insults at each other, ending up with Oscar getting hit in the head with a tennis ball. Later Oscar explains to her that he only did what he did with Diane because he was drunk and she was wearing her scarf. Eve immediately understands that he is in love with her. They share a passionate kiss, she loses herself with oscar for sex but she quickly breaks away.
The next scene Eve and Stanley are seen taking Oscar to the train to leave for Chauncey again. While they are alone Eve asks Oscar how his liver feels and he replies that it hurts, but is not broken. On the train Oscar runs into Miranda who quotes Voltaire: "If we do not find something pleasant at least we will find something new." The song "Changes" by David Bowie starts up as the final scene shows Oscar tell Charlie what he realised. Charlie doesn't understand his friend, and we see Oscar smile as the train rolls on.
Photos
Aaron Stanford at the screening of "Tadpole" in Seattle International Film Festival 2002
Gary Winick at the screening of "Tadpole" in Seattle International Film Festival 2002
