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A Tad Twisted But True
Fifteen-year-old Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford) reads Voltaire. He speaks
French. He has a passion for the finer things in life. He has absolutely no time to meddle around with girls. Girls of his own age, that is. Oscar loves older women. To be more specific, Oscar is in love with his stepmother, Eve (Sigourney Weaver). And from this revelation we find ourselves back at Rushmore, rooting for the kid to get lucky.
The difference between Tadpole and something like Rushmore is the main character. In Rushmore, fifteen-year-old Max, who is in love with a teacher, is a great fake — although very funny. He’s not as clever as he pretends to be. Yes, he’s a visionary — but nothing more. Here in Tadpole, Oscar is all he seems to be. Intelligence, philosophical views, and romanticism are all part of his repertoire.
Throughout the film, Oscar tries to find the best way to tell Eve that he
loves her. His father, Stanley (John Ritter), is a real gem as the unknowing,
college-professor. (At least we know where Oscar gets his smarts from.)
Along the way, Oscar gets closer to his stepmother’s saucy friend, Diane
(Bebe Neuwirth), who uses her skills as a masseuse to lure the literary
genius from any of his inhibitions.
There is a great scene where Oscar, Eve, Diane, and Stanley are at dinner, and the young lad is trying to withhold what has happened between him and the adult siren. However, she doesn’t make it easy. Each scene is smooth and written very well. Nothing is unbelievable, and the characters behave in the way they would probably act if this were really happening.
Tadpole is a nice little art house flick with everything it needs all in the
right places. A story of warped love and growing up too fast, Tadpole
(without legs) jumps above all expectations.
Grade: B+
