| Revision as of 22:20, 30 August 2022 editSer Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators6,302,820 edits →External links: add Category:2000s American filmsTag: AWB← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:32, 21 September 2022 edit undoSpectrallights (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users10,582 edits Added infoTag: Visual editNext edit → | ||
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| ==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
| Oscar Grubman |
Oscar Grubman is a precocious 15-year-old boy traveling home from school for ]. He speaks fluent French, quotes ] and finds girls of his own age to be too shallow and superficial, as well as too immature and inexperienced in life. When Miranda Spear, an attractive girl from school, approaches Oscar, he politely brushes her off. Oscar confides in his friend Charlie that he is in love with a mature woman and plans to win her heart during Thanksgiving break. | ||
| Oscar arrives at his family’s apartment, ] history professor and author, Stanley Grubman |
Oscar arrives at his family’s apartment, ] history professor and author, Stanley Grubman and stepmother, the passionate ], Eve. That evening, the Grubmans hold a party where Stanley introduces him to a girl of his age, but Oscar rebuffs her as well while staring at the object of his affection: his stepmother. | ||
| Oscar tries to open up to her, but the unsuspecting Eve doesn't pick up on any of his advances. Stanley tells him to walk the girl home, but he hails her a cab. Depressed from his failure with the older woman, Oscar goes to a bar with a ] and gets drunk. He bumps into Eve's best friend, ] Diane Lodder |
Oscar tries to open up to her, but the unsuspecting Eve doesn't pick up on any of his advances. Stanley tells him to walk the girl home, but he hails her a cab. Depressed from his failure with the older woman, Oscar goes to a bar with a ] and gets drunk. He bumps into Eve's best friend, ] Diane Lodder, who offers to take him to her own apartment seeing his current condition. Once there, Diane begins to massage him and they end up having sex. Oscar wakes the next morning and has an awkward encounter with Diane's boyfriend, Phil. | ||
| Back at home, Oscar plans a surprise lunch for Eve but first Stanley inquires about where Oscar spent the night. Oscar makes up a story about meeting Miranda Spear from school. He brings lunch to Eve at her lab, where he opens up to her once more, pondering the use of the heart as a symbol for affection. Together they decide that the liver should be the new symbol for love. | Back at home, Oscar plans a surprise lunch for Eve but first Stanley inquires about where Oscar spent the night. Oscar makes up a story about meeting Miranda Spear from school. He brings lunch to Eve at her lab, where he opens up to her once more, pondering the use of the heart as a symbol for affection. Together they decide that the liver should be the new symbol for love. | ||
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| ==Production== | ==Production== | ||
| The film was shot on digital video cameras in just 14 days.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Guthmann |first=Edward |date=2002-01-19 |title=Coming of age at Sundance / "Tadpole" among breakout digital-video movies at Utah festival |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Coming-of-age-at-Sundance-Tadpole-among-2881998.php |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | The |
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| ⚫ | The film premiered at the ], where it was acquired by ] for $5 million dollars.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020115/nytu120_1.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020131105703/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020115/nytu120_1.html|title=Miramax Films Acquires 'Tadpole' at Sundance|website=]|publisher=]|via=]|archivedate=January 31, 2002|date=January 15, 2002|accessdate=June 27, 2019}}</ref> | ||
| ==Cast== | ==Cast== | ||
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| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
| ===Critical response=== | ===Critical response=== | ||
| ''Tadpole'' received mostly positive reviews. Based on 107 reviews collected by the film review aggregator ], 78% of critics gave the film a positive review.<ref>{{cite web |title = Tadpole (2002) |url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tadpole/ |work = ] |publisher = ] |accessdate = March 3, 2020 }}</ref> | ''Tadpole'' received mostly positive reviews. Based on 107 reviews collected by the film review aggregator ], 78% of critics gave the film a positive review.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title = Tadpole (2002) |url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tadpole/ |work = ] |publisher = ] |accessdate = March 3, 2020 }}</ref> The site’s consensus states, "Presenting a sexual awakening with surprising candor, ''Tadpole'' is a spiky coming of age tale that benefits from a deeply felt performance by Aaron Stanford and a script that is unafraid to wade into morally choppy waters."<ref name=":1" /> | ||
| ===Box office=== | ===Box office=== | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
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Revision as of 19:32, 21 September 2022
2002 film by Gary Winick| Tadpole | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gary Winick |
| Written by | Heather McGowan Niels Mueller |
| Produced by | Gary Winick Alexis Alexanian Dolly Hall |
| Starring | Aaron Stanford Bebe Neuwirth Sigourney Weaver John Ritter Robert Iler Kate Mara |
| Cinematography | Hubert Taczanowski |
| Edited by | Susan Littenberg |
| Music by | Renaud Pion |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release dates | |
| Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English French |
| Budget | $150,000 |
| Box office | $3,200,241 |
Tadpole is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick, written by Heather McGowan and Niels Mueller, and starring Sigourney Weaver, Bebe Neuwirth, Aaron Stanford, John Ritter, Robert Iler, and Kate Mara.
Plot
Oscar Grubman is a precocious 15-year-old boy traveling home from school for Thanksgiving. He speaks fluent French, quotes Voltaire and finds girls of his own age to be too shallow and superficial, as well as too immature and inexperienced in life. When Miranda Spear, an attractive girl from school, approaches Oscar, he politely brushes her off. Oscar confides in his friend Charlie that he is in love with a mature woman and plans to win her heart during Thanksgiving break.
Oscar arrives at his family’s apartment, Columbia University history professor and author, Stanley Grubman and stepmother, the passionate cardiologist, Eve. That evening, the Grubmans hold a party where Stanley introduces him to a girl of his age, but Oscar rebuffs her as well while staring at the object of his affection: his stepmother.
Oscar tries to open up to her, but the unsuspecting Eve doesn't pick up on any of his advances. Stanley tells him to walk the girl home, but he hails her a cab. Depressed from his failure with the older woman, Oscar goes to a bar with a fake id and gets drunk. He bumps into Eve's best friend, chiropractor Diane Lodder, who offers to take him to her own apartment seeing his current condition. Once there, Diane begins to massage him and they end up having sex. Oscar wakes the next morning and has an awkward encounter with Diane's boyfriend, Phil.
Back at home, Oscar plans a surprise lunch for Eve but first Stanley inquires about where Oscar spent the night. Oscar makes up a story about meeting Miranda Spear from school. He brings lunch to Eve at her lab, where he opens up to her once more, pondering the use of the heart as a symbol for affection. Together they decide that the liver should be the new symbol for love.
Their conversation is interrupted by a phone call from Stanley, who mentions that Diane will be joining them for dinner. Worried that Diane will tell Eve about their tryst, Oscar finds Diane at a tea room with several of her friends. All act as though they know about the previous evening, and most of the women twice his age flirt with him. Oscar makes Diane promise to keep last night a secret from Stanley and especially Eve.
At dinner, Diane drinks and behaves coyly. She plays footsie with Oscar and flirts with him in French. After she excuses herself from the table, Oscar follows to confront her. She kisses him while not being totally out of Stanley's view, after which Diane admits to Stanley and Eve that she and Oscar are lovers.
The next day, Diane explains to Eve that she found Oscar a charming young man. Eve condemns her for seducing a mere 15-year-old, but Diane says many women would have done the same, including perhaps Eve. Later that day, 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 ball. Oscar explains to Eve that he only did what he did with Diane because he was drunk and she was wearing Eve's scarf. Eve immediately understands that he is in love with her. They share a passionate kiss but Eve eventually breaks away.
At the end of Thanksgiving break, Eve and Stanley take Oscar to the train. Eve asks Oscar how his liver feels and he replies that it hurts, but is not broken. She also tells him how much she loves his father. On the train, Oscar meets up with Charlie, and runs into Miranda. Miranda quotes Voltaire, "If we do not find something pleasant at least we will find something new," and looks longingly at Oscar. Charlie notices this and Oscar tells Charlie that Miranda smells nice. Charlie asks about Eve and Oscar states that his obsession with Eve was not as important as it seemed. Charlie doesn't understand his friend, but Oscar smiles as the train rolls on.
Production
The film was shot on digital video cameras in just 14 days.
The film premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Miramax for $5 million dollars.
Cast
- Aaron Stanford as Oscar Grubman
- Sigourney Weaver as Eve Grubman
- John Ritter as Stanley Grubman
- Bebe Neuwirth as Diane Lodder
- Robert Iler as Charlie
- Kate Mara as Miranda Spear
- Adam LeFevre as Phil
- Peter Appel as Jimmy the Doorman
- Ron Rifkin as Professor Tisch
- Alicia Van Couvering as Daphe Tisch
- Paul Bulter as Professor Sherman
- Hope Chernov as Samantha Steadman
- John Feltch as Bob Spear
Reception
Critical response
Tadpole received mostly positive reviews. Based on 107 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of critics gave the film a positive review. The site’s consensus states, "Presenting a sexual awakening with surprising candor, Tadpole is a spiky coming of age tale that benefits from a deeply felt performance by Aaron Stanford and a script that is unafraid to wade into morally choppy waters."
Box office
On a budget of $150,000, the film made $3,200,241 worldwide; from $2,891,288 in North America and $308,953 in other territories. The film opened with $80,682 in its opening weekend (7/19-21) and raised 34% ($273,373) in the second weekend.
Soundtrack
The following songs were included in the film.
- Charles Trenet - "Ménilmontant"
- John M. Davis - "The Revenger's Waltz"
- Adam Cohen - "She"
- Micheline Van Hautem (nl:Mich Van Hautem) - "Deux fois"
- Naresh Solal - "Moonlit Temple"
- King Lear Jet - "Ammo"
- The Creatures of the Golden Dawn - "Hemlock Row"
- John M. Davis - "Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2 (Chopin)"
- John M. Davis - "Waltz in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2"
- John M. Davis - "Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2"
- Everything but the Girl - "The Only Living Boy in New York"
- David Bowie - "Changes"
- Adam Cohen - "Couche-moi sur tes lèvres"
See also
References
- ^ Guthmann, Edward (2002-01-19). "Coming of age at Sundance / "Tadpole" among breakout digital-video movies at Utah festival". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- "Miramax Films Acquires 'Tadpole' at Sundance". PR Newswire. Cision. January 15, 2002. Archived from the original on January 31, 2002. Retrieved June 27, 2019 – via Yahoo.com.
- ^ "Tadpole (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- "Tadpole (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- "Tadpole (2002) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
External links
- Tadpole at IMDb
- Tadpole at Box Office Mojo
- Tadpole at Rotten Tomatoes
| Films directed by Gary Winick | |
|---|---|
|
- 2002 films
- 2002 romantic comedy films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2000s sex comedy films
- American coming-of-age films
- American romantic comedy films
- American sex comedy films
- Camcorder films
- Films directed by Gary Winick
- Miramax films
- 2000s American films
- American coming-of-age comedy films
- 2000s coming-of-age comedy films
- 2002 independent films
- American independent films
- Thanksgiving in films