Little Children movie storyline. Echoes of “Madame Bovary” in the American suburbs. Sarah’s in a loveless marriage to an advertising executive, long days with her young daughter at the park and the pool, wanting more. Brad is an immature househusband, married to a flinty documentary filmmaker. Ronnie is just out of prison – two years for indecent exposure to a minor – living with his elderly mother, May.
Larry is a retired cop, fixated on driving Ronnie away. Sarah and Brad connect, a respite of adult companionship at the pool. Ronnie and Larry have their demons. Brad should be studying for the bar; Larry misses his job; Ronnie’s mom thinks he needs a girlfriend. Sarah longs to refuse to be trapped in an unhappy life. Where can these tangled paths lead?
Little Children is a 2006 American drama film directed by Todd Field. It is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, who along with Field wrote the screenplay. It stars Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Jackie Earle Haley, Noah Emmerich, Gregg Edelman, Phyllis Somerville and Will Lyman.
The original music score is composed by Thomas Newman. The film screened at the 44th New York Film Festival organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. It earned 3 nominations at the 79th Academy Awards: Best Actress for Winslet, Best Supporting Actor for Haley, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Field and Perrotta.
Approach
For this film, director Todd Field and novelist Tom Perrotta intended to take the story in a separate and somewhat different direction than the novel. “When Todd and I began collaborating on the script, we were hoping to make something new out of the material, rather than simply reproducing the book onto film,” says Perrotta.
While Little Children is based on an acclaimed novel, Todd Field and Tom Perrotta wanted to create a film that stood on its own, independent of the book. “When Todd and I began collaborating on the script, we were hoping to make something new out of the material, rather than simply reproducing the book onto film,” says Perrotta.
“For me, as a novelist, the attraction of a film adaptation lies precisely in this opportunity to re-imagine my book with someone else, and explore new possibilities for the characters and the story. To be able to work with a writer/director as accomplished as Todd was a huge part of the appeal for me, but I understood from the start that what we produced together would no longer be ‘mine’ in any simple sense. There’s really no way for two writers with such distinct voices and sensibilities to come together and not create something very different from what either one of us would have done on his own.”
About the Story
Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet) a 30-year-old, stay-at-home mother in a small Massachusetts suburban community. She had been working on a doctorate in English, but once she married Richard (Gregg Edelman) and had their daughter, the presently three-year-old Lucy (Sadie Goldstein), she set aside her research.
Now she spends her days taking Lucy to a local park along with three other stay at-home mothers: the severe and judgmental Mary Ann (Mary B. McCann) and more timid Theresa (Trini Alvarado) and Cheryl (Marsha Dietlein). They enjoy ogling from a distance Brad Adamson (Patrick Wilson), a handsome and well-built father who brings his son, Aaron (Ty Simpkins), to the park.
When their children use the same swing set, Sarah and Brad have an opportunity to talk to one another, titillating the other women. But when they, on a lark, hug and kiss, the women immediately take their children out of the park and refuse to associate with Sarah anymore. Both Brad and Sarah have unhappy home lives. Brad has yet to pass the Massachusetts state bar exam and doesn’t even want to be a lawyer.
However, his wife, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), wants him to succeed. She makes documentaries for public television for a living. They live a bit beyond their means, forcing them to accept financial support from Kathy’s mother. They haven’t been having sex because they are growing apart. When he is supposed to be studying for the bar exam, Brad instead sits and watches teenagers skateboard outside his house, fantasizing about being young and carefree again. One night, an acquaintance, Larry (Noah Emmerich), persuades Brad, who played quarterback on his high school football team, to join his amateur football team, the Guardians.
Larry is a former police officer forced to retire a few years earlier when he accidentally shot a black teenager who was holding a toy gun. Now he is estranged from his wife and spends much of his time harassing Ronnie McGorvey (Jackie Earle Haley), a freaky neighbor recently released from prison after serving several years. Ronnie had been incarcerated for exposing himself to a minor and has a long criminal record for sexually molesting young girls. Brad does not feel comfortable with Larry’s campaign against Ronnie to force him to move from the neighborhood, but rarely tries to prevent him from carrying it out.
Sarah’s marriage to Richard is as sexless as Brad’s is to Kathy. In this case, however, it is because he is addicted to Internet pornography. One day she catches him masturbating in his office and they begin to sleep separately. She buys a flattering swimsuit and begins to attend the public pool because she knows she will see Brad there. They begin a deep but platonic relationship and their children become friends. Brad is drawn to Sarah’s interest in him, even though he does not find her particularly physically attractive. Sarah craves being sexually desired by someone as conventionally handsome and masculine as Brad.
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Little Children (2006)
Directed by: Todd Field
Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Noah Emmerich, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Kate Winslet, Gregg Edelman, Sarah Buxton, Jane Adams, Sadie Goldstein, Helen Carey, Trini Alvarado, Marsha Dietlein
Screenplay by: Todd Field, Tom Perrotta
Production Design by: David Gropman
Cinematography by: Antonio Calvache
Film Editing by: Leo Trombetta
Costume Design by: Melissa Economy
Set Decoration by: Susan Bode
Art Direction by: John Kasarda
Music by: Thomas Newman
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexuality and nudity, language and disturbing content.
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Release Date: October 6, 2006
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