The Critic's Corner
April 22-28, 2019
By David Laprad
‘Little’ is subjective
In the new comedy “Little,” a young girl waves her toy magic wand at a mean grownup and says, “I wish you were my size.” When the adult wakes up the next morning, she is indeed her tiny adolescent self.
As I watched the film, I wished I had a toy magic wand I could wave at the screen while saying, “I wish you were funny.”
But magic like that works only in the movies, so I was stuck watching a nearly two-hour comedy that didn’t make me laugh.
There were times when I thought I was the problem, not the movie. Maybe my sense of humor is on the fritz, I said to myself.
After all, a scene in which the mean grownup licks someone’s apple and then makes him eat it had several people near me in stiches.
But no matter how many different ways I looked at the scene, I couldn’t burp up a laugh.
A little about the film’s story: Jordan Sanders is a tech mogul with a ruthless management style. She pushes down kids, perpetually yells at and belittles her employees and makes life miserable for April, her assistant.
Jordan is like this because she was bullied as a kid for being smart. After an especially humiliating experience during a school talent show, she vowed to be the one doing the bullying when she grew up.
Then comes the day Jordan browbeats the girl with the magic wand and her biological clock is rewound to the age when she made that fateful vow, giving her a chance to make a different choice.
One could argue “Little” is rich with complex themes. Perhaps the film is about the devastating impact bullying can have on a person, or how far off track a single bad decision can take us in life.
Or maybe the movie is about the importance of being kind to others or, in the case of a subplot involving April, pushing through adversity to make your dreams come true.
Okay, now I’m laughing.
“Little” gives lip service to those ideas but is really too uninspired to be about anything.
The film gets off to a rough start and never recovers. In a way, it felt like co-writer and director Tina Gordon was throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what would stick.
Very little did. The apple scene is just one example of the silly material in the film and the many awkward attempts at humor.
Gordon also botches what should have been the funniest part of the film: when Jordan discovers she’s a kid again. In very little screen time, Jordan goes from mouth-gaping surprise to sitting down with April (who also accepts the change rather quickly) and discussing how to deal with the situation.
I felt robbed of what should have been my only guilty pleasure while watching “Little.”
The film’s only saving graces are the performances of the women who play Jordan. By acting childish and overplaying the adult Jordan’s bullying, Regina Hall shows how her character failed to mature as she grew older.
And Marsai Martin, who plays the 13-year-old Jordan, nearly saves the film with her charisma and energy. Born in 2004, she’s already a talented actress and is easily the best thing in “Little.”
I feel obligated when trashing so-called comedies like “Little,” “What Men Want” and “Night School” to mention that many of the people in the audience appeared to have fun. They laughed at all the claptrap and in the case of some viewers even applauded when the credits rolled.
But I don’t believe my criticism of all three films is unwarranted. Yes, humor is subjective, but licking an apple and then making someone eat it isn’t – it’s dumb.
The movies I mentioned above share a pedigree. Gordon co-wrote “What Men Want,” and Will Packer, a producer on “Little,” also produced “Night School.” These creatives have proven they can make hits; now I’d like to see them make a comedy that’s actually funny.
Skip it.
Rated PG-13 for suggestive content.
David Laprad is the assistant editor of the Hamilton County Herald and an award-winning columnist and photographer. Contact him at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
