Tadpole

Director: Gary Winick
Year Released: 2002
Rating: 0.0

Fifteen-year-old - who has only read one book by one author in his entire life (the abridged Voltaire) - falls for his stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) hard, but winds up sleeping with her attractive best friend (Bebe Neuwirth) ... and of course, this is not acceptable (how can you properly seduce Mom when you're bedding her friends on the side? Isn't that a conflict of interest?). This fifteen-year-old, who speaks fluent French, is one of the most pompous movie characters to come along in some time (save Igby), a self-interested, phony little twig who would be broken by life had his family's riches not protected him from the 'real world.' I was anxiously awaiting the police cruisers to come for Neuwirth, who has started - with her friends - some kind of woman-boy love association (NAWBLA?) and for the kid's father to act like a real father or plausible human and show some kind of anger in response to his son's transgression (the 'men' - not boys - are portrayed as quasi-impotent cuckolds). This is the kind of shoddy craftsmanship that helps dig independent cinema's grave.