Tadpole

As a general rule, films that run under 90 minutes are not very good. Most of the time it’s because someone takes an idea that can be told be in about 20 minutes and tries to stretch it to feature length. Then there is Tadpole, which proves to be the exception to the rule. Running at just under 80 minutes, this is a film that says what it needs to say and then ends.

The action centers around the Thanksgiving break activities of Oscar (Aaron Stanford), a Voltare-quoting, French-speaking 15 year-old with a large distain for the girls at his exclusive prep school. You see, he is in love an older woman named Eve. And since she is played by Sigourney Weaver, who can blame him? The only problem is that Eve is recently married to his father, Stanley (John Ritter). This is the weekend that Oscar has decided to tell Eve of his feelings for her. His only problem, besides his dad, is his one-night stand with Eve’s best friend Diane (Bebe Neuwirth). If only she could stop giving his phone number out to all of her friends.

The film’s entanglements come to a head at a restaurant scene that is both hilarious and heartbreaking. What makes the scene work isn’t so much what is said but what the actors manage to convey about their characters without speaking. It’s a great scene in what truly is one of the funnier films to come out this year.

The cast is uniformly good. Mr. Stanford is unafraid to make Oscar just a little bit unlikable at times, which works in his favor. Mr. Ritter brings just the right mixture of clueless-ness and wisdom that we see in our own parents. Ms. Weaver’s subtle performance makes it easy to see just why both Oscar and Stanley could fall in love with her. But the film really belongs to Ms. Neuwirth. When Oscar’s best friend Charlie, played by Sopranos star Robert Iler, chides Oscar for being embarrassed about his one night with Diane, it’s easy to see why. Diane is a hot wire — all fire and sex and free spirit rolled into one, and it’s fun to see Ms. Neuwirth play her that way. Plus, Diane gets to deliver the best dialogue in the film.

Director Gary Winick deserves credit for making a clever and humorous sex farce that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The dialogue is fresh and snappy, and the pace is quick and light. Tadpole is a sweet surprise: A sexy farce about a teenage boy to which even adults can relate.

Submitted 08 September 02. Posted 20 September 02.