Tadpole

2002 Comedy

Most 15-year-old boys are obsessed with the opposite sex, but this may be the only area in which Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford) could be called typical. An honor student at an exclusive prep school, Oscar is confident, keenly intelligent, speaks fluent French, and is well versed in the work of a number of French authors, particularly his favorite, Voltaire. Oscar seems to have gotten his fascination with French culture from his mother, who several years ago divorced his father Stanley (John Ritter), a college professor, and moved to Paris. Stanley has recently remarried, taking an attractive woman in her mid-forties, Eve (Sigourney Weaver), as his new wife. Oscar, however, senses that Eve isn't happy in their marriage; certain he can give Eve the affection (both physical and emotional) that she needs, Oscar begins waging a low-key but ardent campaign to seduce his step-mother over the course of Thanksgiving weekend, despite the fact a number of Oscar's female classmates have made no secret of their attraction to him. Oscar's efforts to bed Eve attract the attention of one of her close friends, Diane (Bebe Neuwirth), a smart and sexy chiropractor who also becomes the not-entirely-unwelcome focus of Oscar's romantic attentions. Shot using digital video equipment, Tadpole was enthusiastically received at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, where the film's director, Gary Winick, received the Director's Award. more..

Director: Gary Winick

Starring: Aaron Stanford, Sigourney Weaver, John Ritter, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Iler

Reviews

  • It's a funny, fearless, poignant, spectacular performance. Come to think of it, those words could well apply to the entirety of Tadpole.

    Ann Hornaday - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Doesn't need the passage of time to become a classic. It's one already.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Tadpole may be small, but it's something special -- a cheeky comedy knockout.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    19 January 2013

  • An irreverent and witty comedy in which the events aren't predictable but are well paced.

    Claudia Puig - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • Where ''Rushmore'' surprises and delights with its spiky depiction of sprawling American idiosyncrasy, Tadpole's more urbane, less complicated charms are specifically made in New York City.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Supporting Actress

    Chlotrudis Awards (2003)

     
  • National Board of Review (2002)

  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

    Satellite Awards (2003)

     
  • Best Supporting Actress

    Seattle Film Critics Awards (2002)

  • Dramatic

    Sundance Film Festival (2002)