SummaryBased on the novel by Tom Perrotta, Little Children centers on a handful of individuals whose lives intersect on the playgrounds, town pools and streets of their small community in surprising and potentially dangerous ways. [New Line Cinema]
Directed By:Todd Field
Written By:Todd Field, Tom Perrotta
Little Children
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
82% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
18% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Perrotta and Field succeed, not by guessing, but by knowing this world. They understand it enough to see it with cold precision -- and to approach it, at times, with disarming warmth. The characters aren't types, but people.
91
A jolting, artfully made drama set in and around a suburban playground somewhere between "American Beauty" and "In the Bedroom" on America's psychic highway.
User score
Generally Favorable
84% Positive
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
12% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
4% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
May 21, 2024
10
I think it’s a great movie you should watch it!!!!! It has a very good plot and a lot of emotions
Oct 18, 2020
10
Excelentes interpretaciones, buena trama y al final da mucho para reflexionar.
90
Providing richness of detail and metaphor, elegantly blueprinted themes and impressive mastery of a constantly shifting tone, Little Children does just that. It is a deeply satisfying film.
80
Little Children does not have quite the bleak discipline of Field's more keenly judged "In the Bedroom." Yet it is a more ambitious film and a considerable achievement.
75
Decades removed from his dreamy Kelly in the "Bad News Bears" movies, Haley pulls off the remarkable feat of bringing childlike vulnerability to his character while still suggesting ungodly menace.
50
Instead of being supple and expansive like the book, this Little Children is heavy-handed and snarky.
40
It's an unholy mess, simultaneously too Gothic and too sarcastic, that preaches liberation and delivers only puritanism. It's a craftsmanlike but robotic imitation of "interesting" filmmaking, only in patches, and by accident, the real thing.
Jan 30, 2021
9
The little explored but dark side of life in the suburbs. In an identical tone to American Beauty, it is an unpleasant look at the secrets, lies, hypocrisy and fears of its inhabitants. With performances as magnetic as well impressive.
Jan 16, 2018
9
Little Children is a fascinating and disturbing glimpse into suburban life, without a group of intriguing and diverse characters. The performances here are just outstanding. Kate Winslet and Jackie Earl Haley truly stand out, giving raw and unflinching performances that both terrify and amaze me. Patrick Wilson is also fantastic, giving us a real look into the life of this empty man. Noah Emmerich is very underrated as well, as he steals the show in some scenes. Everyone in the film was at the top of their game. This detailed vision came together extremely well, and it really left me thinking for days after I had saw it.
Jan 23, 2021
8
An intelligent tale of the underbelly of suburbia.
A role that is right in Winslet's comfort zone and as you'd expect, nails it.
Dec 21, 2012
0
The subplots are unbelievably generic, and not even done in an original way. Jackie Earle Haley's plotline is the most interesting, but as the movie progresses, it becomes sympathetic to the pedophile, and the movie's overall message seems to be about acceptance, even for someone like that. Apart from that, the acting is very overrated, even from Kate Winslet, who I usually love. Normally, I would just think this is an ordinary, annoyingly generic movie, worthy of maybe a three or a four. However, the idea of the pedophile being portrayed as a sympathetic character, and that those who deride him are considered villains, cause this movie to be an easy zero for me.
