Susan Granger’s review of “Tadpole” (Miramax Films)
If you’re looking for a tart, sexy, sophisticated comedy this summer, this is it. Reminiscent of “The Graduate,” it’s the Oedipal story of a precocious Manhattan prep schooler, Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford), who is obsessed with risquŽ fantasies about his scientist stepmother Eve (Sigourney Weaver). Not only is she unaware of his fixation but so is his workaholic father (John Ritter), an erudite antiquities professor at Columbia. The film chronicles a fateful Thanksgiving weekend that turns into a French farce, which is quite appropriate since 15 year-old Oscar is a devoted Francophile who incessantly quotes Voltaire. While the Thanksgiving feast begins innocently enough with his clueless father apologizing to Native Americans, it culminates with Oscar succumbing to his raging hormones in the apartment of Eve’s best friend, Diane (Bebe Neuwirth), an affection-starved chiropractor. The next morning, however, Oscar is terrified that Diane will relate details of the boozy dalliance to Eve. And as the weekend unfolds, his worst fears are realized. Writers Heather McGowan and Niels Mueller tastefully reveal just enough about each character to keep you interested without drowning in superfluous details, and director Gary Winick keeps the pace brisk and bubbly. Cinematographer Hubert Taczanowski does wonders with a digital video camera on the film’s tight $150,000 budget. Despite the fact that he’s actually in his 20s, Adam Stanford is convincing as the “smart, sweet, passionate” adolescent stuck with a childhood nickname, and Sigourney Weaver exudes a perplexed yet sensual sensitivity. But it’s mischievous Bebe Neuwirth who’s a comic revelation. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Tadpole” scores a spicy, sassy 8. It’s a frothy, wistful, whimsical delight.
