Movie Review - Little Men

Little Men ** (out of 5) (PG) This quiet little drama (no relation to the Louisa May Alcott novel you may have been required to read in school) about a handful of regular people - some are men; some are working towards that end; others are forced to deal with both - offers some merits in the tale it tells, though not likely enough for reaching a broad audience. Greg Kinnear headlines as a struggling New York actor whose semi-estranged father dies, leaving them and his sister a small shop and apartment in Brooklyn. They move in, since their finances are shaky, meeting Bianca, the woman who’s been tending the store, and her son, Tony, who is the same age as Greg’s boy, Jake. The boys bond instantly, becoming best friends, going to the same high school and sharing comparable artistic aspirations.

Unfortunately, Jake’s parents and aunt need more rent from the shop than Bianca can manage from its limited revenues. Since the neighborhood is in mid-gentrification mode, friction develops between the families over how much she can or should pay. The boys aren’t told the specifics, but learn there’s a dispute, and do what they can to protest the upset their parents are causing each other.

The issues and characters are admirably balanced. Both sides of the transaction have legitimate bases for their positions, and warmth towards the others. There’s no bad faith; just a set of unfortunate economic realities making victims of all, possibly jeopardizing the friendship between their sons, which is really the reason for the title, and the main theme of the production. The would-be actor and artist have never been popular with their peers, making their bond even more significant, if not essential, to both.

The downside is that there’s just not enough plot movement to sustain a feature-length tale. The film seems almost padded to its needed length by protracted, dialog-free scenes on streets or in a dance club that add little more than getting the running time up to 85 minutes. The upside is the story’s admirable avoidance of the cliches and conventions that typify major studio releases in winding up these proceedings. That makes Little Men more timely, relatable and realistic, if not quite as entertaining. (9/2/16)