Brooklyn Village

This film tells the story of a boy who moves to a new place after his grandfather died. He befriends the neighbour and is very happy with his life, but grown up troubles get in the way, as his parents get into a rental dispute with the neighbour boy's mother.

I thought "Little Men" would be sweet and touching, but unfortunately I was not. The title may suggest that the film is the reality through the youngsters eyes, but the story is really viewed from a third perspective. The pace is slow, and not much really happens. I find Greg Kinnear's character indecisive and unassertive, as he does not deal with the rental problem quickly. It is as if the whole story is unnecessary because it would not have happened if he dealt with the rental problem quickly. I was bored by the film, and was disappointed.

"Little Men" (2016 release; 92 min.) brings the story of two young men, Jake and Tony. Jake is a 13 yr. old only child and after his grandfather passes away, his dad inherits the Brooklyn building. It's not long before mom Kathy, dad Brian and Jake move in (more room than their cramped Manhattan place). At the ground level of the building there is a small store (a tailor/clothing store) rented out to Leonor, a Latina woman who has a 13 yr. old son Tony. As it happens, Jake and Tony immediately hit it off and become fast (and inseparable) friends. All seems well, until one day Jake's parents need to confront Leonor over the sweetheart (and below market) lease deal which Brain's dad had given to Leonor... At this point we're 15-20 min, into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from writer-director Ira Sachs, best known for the unexpected modestly successful indie movie "Love Is Strange" a few years back. Here he goes a very different tact, examining how 13 yr. olds deal with their parents getting into a business dispute. The first 15-20 min, of the movie, when everyone gets along with everyone, cleverly set you up for some unexpected but very real life issues: money is tight for everyone, and you like all the major characters, yet some (or perhaps all?) will get hurt down the road. The movie is helped immensely by top notch acting performances, starting with the two boys (played by newcomers). Greg Kinnear brings an eye-opening performance as the struggling actor/dad/Brian. I can't recall Kinnear displaying such a conflicted state of mind as in this one. Also mega-kudos to Chilean actress Pauline Garcia, who delighted us a few years ago with her performance in "Gloria" (and which should have garnered an Oscar nomination, frankly). The role she plays here couldn't be further from "Gloria", but it is an equally stunning performance.

"Little Men" opened with positive buzz at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and it finally opened this past weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Wednesday early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening: I was literally the only person in the theater. That is a darn shame, as this movie truly deserves to be seen. In fact, I'll just state it: this movie is one of the five best movies I've seen this year (and I see a lot of them). If you are in the mood for a top-notch family/neighbors relationship drama with loads of top acting performances, you cannot go wrong with this, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Little Men" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

There are three main types of movies, good ones, bad ones and ones that are overlooked by the public. Yes, it is not a masterpiece and has flaws, but still I enjoyed watching this and I was shocked to see the IMDb rating and the box office result. Though independent movies like this don't make much back it still should of made it's 2 million budget. The performance were almost all good, with the exception of a few, it was well paced so I could truly experience the chemistry growth between the two children who come from two entirely different backgrounds.

To conclude it is an underrated movie that brings out a range of emotions, but yes it is not perfect.

I feel like this film was kind of marketed as a comedy, and perhaps that's why the seriousness of the situation at the core of the film really surprised me. It's not that the film is a tragedy, but instead it takes an honest and very real look at these kinds of situations. It's a very carefully and deliberately paced film, and the director has a great handle of the film's tone and atmosphere and is able to really bring the dramatic beats of the story to life. The ensemble cast also seems to have a great handle on the material, never overplaying or underplaying the situation to become unbelievable or become a melodrama. I definitely recommend this and I think it really gives a fascinating portrayal of family and the bonds that exist and how real life can get in the middle of that.

So, when I saw the trailer, I think I may have been mislead about what the movie is really about. They used the star power of actor, Greg Kinnear to sell the movie, and even though he's a big (very big) part of the movie, his story is not the focus.

The heart of the movie is the instant bond that happens between the two young boys in this movie (From the trailer, I thought the title Little Men came from the fact that Kinnear was a man-child, which was not the case).

The kid that played the character Tony was the absolutely best. Watching him in the scenes interacting with all the characters was fantastic. He was not the main boy among the two boys, but he was steeling the show without trying.

Other than this kid, the movie does not grab me at all. The main plot of the two boys bond being tested by their parents disagreement over prime real estate in Brooklyn felt really superficial in it's attempts to get everyone on broad, and although every actor is talented, the delivery of the whole film is too bland.

So the kid Tony was the best part of the film that was overall too dry for my taste.

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